A Million Dollar Love
by mangoblogs
Summary: What are the two most wanted things in the world? Love & Money. So what happens when you have two strangers married with the promise of winning a million dollars? What happens when the person that promises the millions does whatever she can to sabotage them? Can they make it? This is a Samcedes AU story *rarely canon*
1. Pilot

**Sooooo...this story has been on my mind since last night and I finally wrote it. I was listening to Neyo's Never Knew I Needed and visualized Samcedes. I know many of you will see Rachel's name and be turned off immediately but trust me the focus is Samcedes as all my stories are. I really should be finishing off my last novel to finish my contract (I'm three chapters away and struggling.) anywho...let me know if you like the idea...hate it? Should I just stop writing Samcedes fanfiction?**

* * *

Rachel smiled nervously as she double checked and triple checked her notes. Today was the day that she was finally going to show what she'd been working on the past few years. She'd sacrificed so many relationships and friendships because of her devotion to making this show. Nobody understood why she wanted to do this and she didn't care. All of her investments and research and time that she put into this, she was finally going to see if it would make it to TV. She'd sent her proposal to one of the biggest TV producers that she knew, Will Schuester, and he actually called her. He was interested in hearing about her show idea. She noticed Will walking towards her and immediately felt her mouth become dry. She took a sip of her water then smoothed her hands down her skirt then quickly checked her bangs that fell over her forehead and forced a smile on her face.

"You are great! You deserve this!" she mumbled to herself a couple times then took a deep breath and turned just as Will walked in. "Mr. Schuester, pleasure to meet you." She said as she extended her hand to him. "I know you're a busy man so, I am honored that you took the time out of your day to meet with me today."

"Then let's not waste any more time." He responded giving her hand a quick shake before sitting down. She wasn't sure how to take his abruptness so she became even more nervous and made her way back to her notes.

"Very well," she mumbled more to herself. "In the past few months I have researched relationships and marriages between people that I know and…"

"Ms. Berry, can I stop you there?" Schuester asked raising his finger and forced a smile over at her as she dropped her notes to her side in annoyance. "You are aware that I have read your proposal, right?" he asked and watched as she nodded. "I was already interested. I'm here for you to show me why I should continue being interested in all this." He sighed then continued. "Please cut to the chase and show me what I came for."

"You're right. You're right." She smiled and dropped the notes on the table before turning around and turned on the TV that was in the room. "What are the two most wanted things in the world?" she asked and waited for him to try to answer. When he didn't respond, she pressed a button and immediately a couple pictures of different people that she'd researched flashed on the screen till it stopped on a picture of Latina that was checking out her makeup. "This is Santana Lopez. She is a closeted lesbian, married to this man." She smiled as a picture of a burly man was displayed beside her. "He is also gay but they are married and have managed to stay married for five years, even though they hate each other." Rachel pressed a button and another couple came on the screen. "This couple here, they've been in love since high school." She smiled as the displayed showed two Asians that she tried to get to sign on for the show. They declined which made her realize she was doing things wrong. "They never married." She pressed another button then stopped as more couples flashed.

"You've interviewed all these couples about their relationships?"

"No…half of these faces are people that are lonely, single and wish they were in a working marriage or relationship." She smiled and walked over to the table then sat before crossing her legs. "The other half needs money." She smiled wider when she noticed that he understood the question she asked earlier. She pressed a button and a video appeared on the TV before she paused it. "Meet Mercedes Jones."

 _"Hi…I'm Mercedes Jones. I'm twenty-five and I am originally from Lima, Ohio. I moved to L.A. right after I graduated High school to pursue a singing career. I had a job as a waitress which helped with dating because I meet so many cool people."_

 _"You said had?"_

 _"Yes…I recently lost my job." She shifted then looked away as she continued. "Living in L.A. on a waitresses' salary is already rough but now I am jobless…soon to be homeless if I don't get it together, ya know?" she laughed but Rachel knew she saw the worry that lied beneath._

 _"What if I offered you the opportunity to make a million dollars?" Rachel asked. Mercedes' eyes widened then suddenly shifted as she thought hard on the question before smiling._

 _"I ain't doing no porn. I'm a Christian woman."_

 _"Christian woman?" Rachel asked then shifted her question. "How do you feel about marriage?" she asked and watched as Mercedes pondered harder on that question._

 _"Marriage is something that I take seriously. It's a holy bond between one person and another. I don't play games with marriage." Mercedes responded with a smile feeling she answered the question the best way she could. Rachel smiled and wrote down a couple notes before finally going in for the cout-de-gras._

 _"Would you marry a man for a million dollars?" Rachel asked then smiled when Mercedes pondered even harder._

"The look in her eyes was the same in numerous women as I asked that question. It didn't matter what they were into or if they were religious. It was amazing seeing the glimmer in their eye when they consider it seriously." She smiled then pressed another button. "And I wondered, will it be the same look in a man's eyes?"

"Did it?" Will asked. Rachel smiled and pressed another button as faces flashed again then stopped on a man.

"Meet Sam Evans."

 _"Howdy, I'm Sam Evans. I'm twenty-five-ish. I stopped counting. Just know I'm legal." He smirked as Rachel waited for him to continue asking question. "My hobbies include gambling, art, family and hanging with my Bros. A nice cold beer and a good game, you know, chill stuff."_

 _"What do you do for a living?"_

 _"I live life, man. You never know when it's your time. So, it's best to just live life." He said as he ran his hands through his long blonde locks. "I sell my art some time." He replied and shrugged as if he had no worried. But Rachel saw the worry in his eyes. Something was bothering him and she knew it._

 _"So, what if I offered you the opportunity to make a million dollars?" she asked then waited to see the look in his eyes. He stared at her for a bit then a smile tugged at the corner of his lips._

 _"I'm not killing anybody. My sister still needs me." He said suddenly revealing too much as he tried to laugh it off. "She can't look up to me if I'm in prison." Rachel smiled and wrote down his response before circling sister on her notes. Although he said it in a joking manner, it was obvious that his sister meant a lot to him._

 _"What would she say if you got married?"_

 _"Me? Married?" he asked before laughing himself to tears. "She'd think that I was abducted by aliens and somehow they'd warped my brain into believing that marriage was something that I even cared for."_

 _"How about getting married for a million dollars?" she asked then smiled when he suddenly stopped laughing._

"So, my proposal is that I will give you the best show to ever hit the TV screen. Picking two random strangers with different interest and lifestyles, put them together in marriage with a promise of gaining a million dollars. Forget Real World...think Real Life!" Rachel pressed another button and a picture of Sam and Mercedes were side by side. "They will have to remain married for ninety days or forfeit the money. After ninety days, if they decide to call it quits they will only get a quarter of that. If they remain married for a year, they'd be instant millionaires." Rachel smiled proudly as Will listened. She waited to see if a smile would crack but he just stared at the TV then looked over at Rachel.

"Where will you find a million dollars to give to them if they actually make it?" he finally asked causing the smile on Rachel's face to widen.

"That's the kicker! They won't! During the marriage, I will give them different things that they would have to do. And when they initially signed up for the study, I did a background check on the both of them. I found their weaknesses and will throw it at them every day. Imagine the ratings." Rachel smiled. She'd finally put it out there and she felt great about it. She watched as Will thought about it all. There was no way he'd turn her idea down. It was pure gold. And he'd be an idiot to turn it down.

"When do you want to start production?" Will asked as the smile on his face finally spread wide. Rachel looked back at the picture of Mercedes and Sam, then nodded in excitement. She couldn't wait to get it started.

* * *

Mercedes sat at her table and looked at all the bills that were scattered. The letter in her hand was supposed to help fix all of that. She read the letter numerous times and still couldn't believe what she read. "Look at God!" she said to herself as a tear fell from her eye. Was this God's plan? Did he really want her to marry a complete stranger for a million dollars? Sure, the show promised that she would live in a rent free six-bedroom house right off the beach, all-expense paid for the first ninety days of the marriage. But would God really want her to do that? Marriage was something serious for her but so were these bills. She wanted to call her best friend Tesla and ask her about the letter said that she couldn't tell anyone that it was for a million dollars till the show aired. So, she was on her own.

"Girl, it's a million dollars and you ain't got your rent ready for next month." She said to herself as she stared at the letter. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number on the bottom before she changed her mind. "Uh…Rachel Berry, please?"

* * *

Sam stared at his reflection and sighed. He knew that agreeing to marry a random person for the world to see was a bad idea. But he really needed the money. All of his gambling had finally caught up to him and he needed to do something about it. He read the letter a couple times before looking over at his sister, Stacy, and knowing that he was all she had left. Their father died of cancer and their mother followed suit not too long after in a car accident. Some said that she tried to take her life because of their father but Sam called it an accident and never said otherwise. From then on, he gambled to keep the both of them above water. He was doing well for a while but it didn't last long and selling his art wasn't enough.

"All I gotta do is pretend to love a chick for ninety days." He thought to himself. "Hell I've pretended longer at the different jobs I've held." He fiddled with his phone then dialed the number. "Uh…hello is this Rachel Berry's office?" He asked as he nervously waited for her to answer the phone. "After ninety days, I'll just take the money and we will be cool." He smiled at his sister then brushed her hair away from her face. "Just you and me, kid. We'll get through this."


	2. Screening

**Alright, Alright, Alriiiiiiiiiight! I wanna thank y'all for reading and reviewing. I didn't think anyone would dig this story. Then again I feel that way about all my fics. Anywho...thank you. I hope you all enjoy the journey cuz it's going to be a bit rocky. Rachel's going to try her hardest to do what she has to make a great TV show. So hopefully Samcedes can make it through the fire. Let me know what you think of Rachel, Sam and Mercedes :)**

* * *

Rachel took a deep breath as she stared at her office door and smiled knowing that just on the other side of the door was a room full of people for her show. Out of all of the people that sat in the lobby waiting to meet with her, only two of them mattered. She called in for a couple extras to come in just to cover who would actually be featured on the show. Last thing she wanted was for Sam and Mercedes to find out that they were the only ones being selected to marry and that they'd be marrying each other. She needed the show to work and the only way that it would work is if only she knew what the endgame would be. She was willing to do some crazy things, just so that Sam and Mercedes made it on the show. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and calmly said to herself: "You are great! You deserve this!" then smiled as she made her way to the door.

On the other side of the door, Mercedes was having an internal panic attack. She arrived early and watched slowly as people started to arrive. Each man that entered, she tried to visualize if he was going to be the man that she was going to marry. Each time the door opened she felt her heart skip a beat and she'd look down at her cellphone, checking the time. She told herself that if Rachel didn't come out and call out her name before noon that she would run out of there. She would just have to find another way to get money for her rent. The top corner of her phone flashed notifying her that her phone needed to be charged. She sighed then placed the phone down on the chair that was nearest to her before rummaging through her bag for her portable charger. After being out for hours for auditions, she'd grown accustomed to carrying it with her. She plugged her phone up then stared at the clock on the wall waiting for it to hit twelve. She was so focused on the clock finally hitting twelve that she quickly jumped up and ran for the door bumping right into a man sporting a man bun that looked like it was still wet.

"Excuse me." she mumbled before brushing past him and heading for the elevator. She slowly caught her breath then searched her purse for her phone. The elevator opened when she finally remembered that she had the phone set on the chair next to her. She was going to have to go back and get it. Was this God trying to get her to go through with this crazy plan or was it the devil? She wasn't too sure but still found herself walking swiftly back to the waiting room as the guy she bumped into held her phone in his hands. "Uh...excuse me. That's mine."

"Oh...sorry." Sam replied as he handed her the phone. She snatched it out of his hand as if he was trying to steal her phone away. Normally he would have left it alone but his morning didn't start off good so he didn't need her attitude. "Next time don't leave your stuff behind." he said as she turned to leave. She was minutes from leaving when Rachel stepped out and called out her name stopping her in her tracks. She turned around and looked as if she forced a smile on her face before heading into the office. Rachel looked at Sam and smiled before walking over to him.

"I will be meeting with you next. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

"No problem." Sam responded as he watched her walk back into the office and closed the door. He looked over at the others that were in the lobby. He arrived late and she was meeting with him next and no one seemed bothered by it. He wanted to ask the lady sit next to him but she was really focused on her phone so he decided to let it go. He was pretty sure that everyone thought they had a shot at this million dollar show but he really needed it. He almost didn't want to participate till he received a call that morning that changed his mind. He quickly pulled his wet hair into a man bun, threw on some ripped jeans and a plain tee and rode his bike there. He felt even though he looked extremely casual that he had a better shot then any of the men he saw there. So he decided to scan the women to see who was about to be the next Mrs. Evans.

* * *

Mercedes sat nervously as Rachel walked back into the office then back to her desk as she held a folder that had Mercedes' name on the label. Mercedes wished she could see what was written inside. She remembered during the initial interviewing process that Rachel kept writing notes as they spoke. She always hated interviews. There was no way that Rachel would know who she was simply from those brief interviews. And now she had a folder full of her opinions on who she felt Mercedes was and Mercedes hated that. The other part that she hated was that her responses to those questions was going to define the type of man she had to marry and potentially fall in love with.

"How are you, Mercedes?" she asked without even looking up at Mercedes.

"I am a bit nervous and anxious, to be honest." she giggled.

"I can understand that but you can relax." Rachel stated as she sat back and smiled at Mercedes. "You have no idea how happy I was when I received your call. You were one of my favorite candidates for this project." Rachel confessed.

"Really?" Mercedes asked in shock. "Your lobby is fully of beautiful women and you're happy that I called back?"

"Yes, Mercedes. Look the women may be beautiful but within my research for this show I learned that it takes more than beauty to make a marriage work. You have the beauty, the life skills and characteristics that I feel are perfect for this show."

"Well I feel I have my mother to thank for that." Mercedes smiled as she watched Rachel write down a couple notes again. She leaned up trying to see what she wrote but couldn't so she decided to just ask straight out. "What exactly do you write inside of my folder? I see that you do that often." Mercedes smiled and watched as Rachel looked up at her for a second then set her pen down and smiled as well.

"Well, Mercedes, in order to find your perfect match I have to get to know you. There's only so much information that a person will divulge within an interview so sometimes I have to read between the lines. Write down key things people say that they don't know factors in to how they decide to mate and to whom." Rachel watched as Mercedes nodded before she continued. "Like for instance, I can tell from the way you said that statement about your mother leads me to believe that if you wed you would love that your mother would approve of this guy. Right?"

"Well yeah...I am big on family. So I would like a guy that I can take to family events and dinners without worrying that he might say something offensive, ya know?"

"I get it!" Rachel smiled and jotted down a couple more notes before looking up at Mercedes again. "So what type of guy would you say you and your mother would love to see on your wedding day?"

"Uh..." Mercedes tried to think of the type of men she liked then smiled as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her Facebook list before stopping on a picture of her ex-boyfriend. Anthony, her ex, was also still a great friend to her. They parted on the latter part of her college years but remained friends. Her entire family loved him and always asked why they broke up. Mercedes never had a good reason other than they were both going in different directions and decided to be friends instead. "Well I would say guys like him are my type." Mercedes smiled as Rachel scanned the picture.

"Nice. Is he available?"

"No, he's my ex and he's been with his girlfriend for a while now. We're good friends though." Mercedes responded with a smile as Rachel handed her the cellphone back.

"So you're still friends with him?" Rachel asked as she quickly wrote down a couple notes. She noticed Mercedes trying to read what she was writing so she quickly wrote her ex-boyfriend's name then dropped the pen.

"Yeah...just friends. Nothing more. You don't even need to write that down. Actually, forget I even mentioned him. Oh my God, why did I even show you that? I'm sorry..." Mercedes said as she suddenly realized that she may have jeopardized everything. Rachel smiled at her and placed her hand over Mercedes' hand.

"Calm down...I am only taking his name down to make sure I match you with a guy similar to what you like." Rachel lied. She had no intention of even looking. The man for Mercedes was already in the lobby waiting to meet with her. "So tell me, are you committed to the darker shaded men? What about a man with a bit of a...lighter shade?" Rachel asked as she watched Mercedes ponder the question for a minute.

"I mean, I don't mind a lighter skinned guy, as long as he's God fearing, clean, hard working and caring family type of guy. That's all I really care about. The rest will fall into place within compromise."

"Perfect answer, Merecedes! This is why I like you for this project. You have it girl. You have it!" Rachel smiled then got out of her seat after writing down what Mercedes said. "Alright, so I have to meet with a couple more people. For legality reasons, don't fret." Rachel said as Mercedes rose up and placed her cellphone inside of her purse. "I like you a lot, Mercedes. In two weeks, if everything works out, you will be getting married and one step closer to a million bucks."

"I like the sound of that." Mercedes said as they both walked out of the office. Mercedes smiled quickly faded as Rachel said the name of the next person she'd interview and the man that bumped into her earlier stood up. Mercedes rolled her eyes and prayed to God she didn't get matched with him.

* * *

Sam sat in the office and answered all of Rachel's questions as quickly as he could. He needed to hurry home. If he was going to be on this show he needed to make arrangements for his sister. One of the reasons he was running late that morning. He initially planned to hire someone to watch Stacy while he was away but the cost for her care was expensive so he decided he'd just figure a new way. He remembered calling Rachel and telling her that he couldn't do it because of his obligations at home. He had long since gave up on the damn show. Then he received a call from Child Services and was told that someone reported his as an ill fitted guardian. He wasn't sure which of his neighbor snitched on him but they advised him that he needed to prove that he had a way to care for a child like her or they'd remove her from his care. He was not about to let that happen so he immediately called Rachel and told her he changed his mind.

"Alright, Sam, I think I have everything I need." she smiled firmly as he nodded. "I was happy you called and reconsidered. I spoke so highly of you to the producers of the show that they almost stopped the project when you said that you wouldn't do this. I really felt you were what we needed for this."

"Really? Me?" Sam asked in shock. He never thought of himself as the marriage type. He didn't have anything against but he'd been focused on his sister that he never thought of dating going further then a shared coffee in the morning.

"Yes you, you possess the family man quality that make the best husbands. Your story about how you lost your parents is something that is tragic but builds great character in a man. I feel any woman would be happy to be paired with you."

"Well...I don't really like to tell people about losing my parents." Sam confessed as Rachel smiled and wrote down a note as he spoke. He realized that she was always writing down everything. "So make sure you write that down. Make up something but whoever you pair me with just leave that part out. If I want them to know about that side I will tell them myself. Okay?" Last thing Sam was the pitiful look people gave him when they about his parents.

"Got it!" Rachel smiled. "Okay so before we finish here, is there anything else that you would like to make sure I know or keep in mind?" Rachel asked then smiled when Sam looked up at the ceiling then back to her and shrugged. "Nothing?"

"I can't really think of anything."

"What about looks? What do you look for in a woman? What are the types that you usually date?"

"Hmmm...I don't know...I guess..." he paused then shifted before pulling out his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a picture then slid it to her. "I guess something like her." he smiled as she scanned the picture then looked his way. "Quinn was my ex in high school."

"So a Barbie to your Ken?" she asked before handing him the picture. He looked at the picture for a second as he remembered the last time he saw Quinn. She was the one that got away. When he got her he could never really believe that she ever dated him. Although the relationship was brief, he never did get over her. Every now and then he'd look her up on Facebook but till this day she still didn't have any social media pages that he could find.

"It's funny you should say that but back in High school people called us that." he laughed then stopped when she didn't laugh as well but wrote down a couple notes before forcing a smile that he could tell was fake. "We lost contact after she went to Yale..." he trailed off and just nodded waiting for her to ask more questions. He never liked being interviewed. He always felt he either revealed too much or not enough of the right things.

"Okay so would you object to...say a girl that wasn't so pale? Or does she have to be a blonde?" she asked. Sam could feel that she was judging him and thinking that he was some shallow man that only liked blonde women. So he smiled and quickly tried to fix the situation.

"Look, I love women. I don't care if she has a tan. I got a tan once because I spent a whole afternoon surfing at the beach." he laughed then continued when she smiled and starting writing again. "And hair color doesn't matter either. I once died my hair with lemon juice so it's nothing to change." he added. Rachel smiled and nodded before tilting her head and looking at his man bun.

"So how committed are you to this man bun?"

"What's wrong with my man bun?" Sam asked suddenly offended as he touched the bun that was still a bit damp. He really thought he rocked the man bun nicely and did not want to cut his hair at all. "I will compromise with a lot of things except my hair." Sam said firmly then sighed when Rachel's smile faded. She dropped her pen and closed the folder that she had with his name on it then stood before walking towards the door. Sam felt his millions walking away and he knew he had to do something about it. "Okay...I am open to anything. I just really need this money." he pleaded. Rachel smiled mischievously, already knowing how much he needed the money. Before she turned back to him and softened her smile she whispered to herself that she deserved this.

"Good! You will most likely hear from us soon." Rachel smiled and walked him to the door. "In two weeks, you will meet your wife. Remember, you can't tell no one or you forfeit the money."

"Scouts honor." Sam promised and shook her hand before heading towards the door past a couple people in the lobby. He wanted to tell them that they had no chance in hell of winning that money. It was going to be his and his sister will never have to worry about being taken away from him ever again.


	3. Episode 1-The Wedding

**Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it. I just found out that my job didn't block this website as they block everything else so I might update a bit more. I checked my stats on here yesterday for the first time and was so surprised to see all the countries that are reading my fic (I was so shocked) so if you want to leave a review...plz add what country or state so I can feel better knowing I am not the only one still obsesses with reading samcedes fanfiction.**

 **This chapter and all the others to come will be longer than the first two because I will be posting the chapters as "episodes". Hope you like this episode. A lot happens that I kind of feel I should have cut it but I won't lol.**

 **I'm dying for some fluff (im the fluff queen) please hang in there with me...I promise things won't stay like this**

* * *

 **A month later-**

So many things had happened since the last time Mercedes agreed to this whole mess but as Rachel promised she got the call. From that moment, Mercedes was back and forth at her office to sign paperwork. She sent Mercedes all over to do background check, credit check, drug testing and a full physical along with a psych evaluation. By the time Mercedes had completed everything Rachel called her into her office once more to sign more paperwork. Then she sent her on her way with a contract the size of an encyclopedia to have her lawyer go over. Mercedes wanted to ask Rachel where the hell she would find a lawyer to read the contract for her but instead she just smiled and took it home. When she made it home she spent the entire night trying to read the contract but fell asleep on it. She decided to pray over it and sign the contract then returned it to Rachel in faith that it would all work out in the end.

"Did you or your lawyers have any problems with the contract?" Rachel asked knowing that there was no way in hell that Mercedes would have had the chance to find a lawyer to go over the contract that quick. Rachel quickly glanced on each page to ensure that all signatures were there before smiling at Mercedes.

"Everything seemed to be as we discussed. Get married. Get paid." Mercedes smiled.

"Yes that's the concept of it all, but I want to also remind you of the non-disclosure agreement. It is imperative that you don't tell anyone of your wedding or the reason for the show till it's completion or it airs. Your family will find out you're married when we allow you both to post it on social medias."

"Oh yeah, I remembered that part." Mercedes nodded as she remembered the conversation she had with her mother about her leaving the country for a role that she got. She lied to her mother about being sent somewhere that would be hard to call her as often as she usually did. Of course her mother didn't like the idea and asked questions that Mercedes couldn't answer. "My mother and best friend didn't like that I was hiding something from them but they will be alright." Mercedes lied. There was no way her mother was ever going to approve of her getting married in secrecy and then learning that it was for money and to a complete stranger for all the world to see. But she figured it would be easier to just ask for forgiveness later.

"Great." Rachel responded before placing her paperwork in a folder then looking up at Mercedes and smiling wildly. "You know I didn't notice till now that you have slim down a bit, is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I may have decided to go a quick diet for the wedding day. You only get one wedding day, right?" Her decision to diet was what triggered her best friend Tesla's curiosity. Mercedes recalled when her best friend invited her out to eat and pounced at the moment she got the chance.

 _"So your mother called me and told me about this little role you got out there in Manitoba, Canada. You know I had to google that shit, right?" Tesla asked as she rubbed her protruding belly. She was gearing to be close to giving birth to her first child and she looked like she was ready to pop already. "Is this why you started that crazy Military diet again?"_

 _"First of all heifer, why is my mom calling you?" Mercedes asked and rolled her eyes as her bestie shrugged and picked at her food. "Secondly, it's not a little role. This could be everything I need to get my singing career off. And thirdly, it ain't my fault you failed geography and lastly, yes I am dieting for the role. But only temporarily. You can't say that I don't look hot and slimming right now." she smiled and posed for her best friend as she tossed a piece of lettuce her way._

 _"Whatever! You could have told me instead I had to hear it from yo mama."_

 _"I was going to tell you but I wanted to make sure I was definitely getting it before I did."_

 _"Okay then bitch, give me the deets then." she smiled. Out of everyone she knew, Tesla and her mother both knew the struggles she'd experience in L.A. Mercedes knew they were happy for her but she also knew that if she told them the details they wouldn't be as happy._

 _"I can't." she sighed. "I had to sign a non-disclosure and everything." she continued then watched as her friend's smile faded. "Trust me, the moment I can tell you everything, I will."_

 _"I don't like this but I got your back. Whatever you need."_

 _"I'm happy you said that because I need to leave my things in your garage till I get back." she smiled and continued to tell her friend her plans before they both went home._

"Alright, well then we have to get you re-measured and everything will be ready for the wedding day." Rachel promised.

The day of the wedding, Mercedes sat in her dressing room in her strapless mermaid wedding dress made by Pnina Tornai, that looked as if God himself made it for her. She hated that her mother couldn't see her in the dress and witness her walking down the aisle. She still didn't know what the point was to have such an extravagant wedding dress when no one she cared for would be there but she went along with it anyway. Her future husband would be there and she wanted to knock the wind out of him the first time he saw her. She hoped she'd be pleasantly surprised as well when she laid eyes on him. Just the thought made her nervous again as she sat patiently and allowed the makeup artist to do her face. There were cameras everywhere and somewhere in the back she could see Rachel peek her head in and smiled.

"You look...just amazing."

"Thank you, Rachel." she smiled as the cameraman zoomed in on her. She tried her hardest not to stare right into the camera but it was hard when he was moving around the room to capture shots of her.

"Look, don't be nervous but we will be starting in the next few minutes. I just spoke to the groom and he's ready to meet you. I can't wait till you both see each other. I can already see it will be love at first sight when he sees you in this dress." Rachel smiled before disappearing behind the doors. Mercedes felt her heart pumping a mile a minute then stopping when she heard everyone saying that it was time.

"Here goes everything." she whispered to herself before glancing at herself one last time as a single woman. The hairstylist did a great job with her hair that were in all loose curls that fell on her exposed shoulders. On top of her hair was a veil that covered her hair and face completely. She figured the element of surprise will be for the groom as she would see him from the top of the alter. She prayed that he would love what he saw as well.

* * *

Sam was beyond nervous as he stood at the top of the alter in the room that was full of what he assumed were extras. He didn't recognize anyone in the room except for Rachel who was stomping over his way. He could tell that she was just as nervous as they were as she shouted to everyone in her path before heading to him. For the past few weeks he's had to see her way more than he wanted to see her. She was a bit bossy and they disagreed with almost everything especially his hair, which he wouldn't allow her to cut. He had it pulled back neatly in a tight ponytail and wore a designer suit that he felt was really a waste of money that he could have used for other things. But it was all worth it because Rachel gave him the letter he needed to prove that he was able to care for his sister. He got an advance to pay for a nanny and a nurse to come and watch Stacy while he was away. Rachel agreed to grant him a day or two to see her and make sure she was okay. Other than worrying about his sister, he was worried about what he was about to go through.

There was cameramen everywhere and they were not making easy on his nerves. He didn't care that nobody was there for his wedding day. The wedding was a sham anyway and he didn't have anybody to invite other than his friends. When it came to family, he didn't really have much. All he had was his sister and she was the world to him. She was the reason he was standing there nervous about meeting a perfect stranger and signing over his life to the devil aka Rachel. That was the name he gave her because he felt that was who she was beneath it all. He wasn't sure why she was the way she was but he knew that it couldn't be the innocent person she pretended to be.

"Hey Sam, are you ready?" she asked him and stared at his hair with a disapproving look still in her eyes. She started to fix his bow tie then forced a smile on her face as she looked at him.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Rache." Sam responded then smiled as she gave him the thumbs up before running off to the side. Minutes later, Sam felt his heart drop as the Bridal Chorus began to play. Sam tried to smile as two children came walking down the aisle, one boy carrying what he could only assume were the rings and a little girl throwing flower peddles. The little boy, if Sam was being honest, resembled him as a child but the little girl who he had to say was racially ambiguous looked a bit like his little sister. She did a great job selecting those children. He looked over to Rachel and smiled when she gave him another set of thumbs up. Off to the side, he could hear the shows host, Blaine Anderson, saying that they were moments from seeing the bride. Just hearing that caused Sam's mouth to dry up as he nervously stared at the door beginning to open. Seconds later, everyone turned around and stared as she finally appeared like an angel from the sky with lights blasting on her and a cloud of smoke. It took a minute for her to start walking but when she did the audience seemed to eat it all up. The whole production was an overkill to Sam but he had to admit it was beautiful watching her walk over to him, even though he could barely see her. If he knew her at all he could understand why some get emotional from it all.

"Here she comes." Sam said to himself then notice her brown skin gleaming under the light, and the curves of her body that were hugging an off white wedding dress that he thought looked more expensive than anything he owned. He quickly looked over at Rachel who was dabbing the corner of her eyes. The woman was nothing like what Sam said he wanted. Why did Rachel make it seem as if she was trying to find the perfect woman for him if she was just going to pick someone else. Sam tried not to allow his thoughts to show on his face as he forced a smile and returned his gaze to the woman walking to him. He reminded himself that he was doing this for a million dollars not to find love. He was doing this for Stacy and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Mercedes stood at the door in shock when all the lights hit her and she noticed the room was full of people she didn't recognize. At the end of the altar stood the damn white man with that damn man bun. It took everything out of her not to run out of there but she had to pull through. She began to walk towards the altar and thanked God that her veil covered her face because if Rachel could see the looks she was throwing her way, she'd be dead. No where did Mercedes ever mentioned that she would or could ever be interested in someone like the man standing at the altar. She was about to marry this man and force herself to fall in love with him. How could she do that when she wasn't even slightly attracted to him. All she kept remembering was that moppy bun he had on his head when they first ran into each other. "There is no way my friend Tesla and my mother would accept this man as my husband." she thought to herself when she finally reached where he stood with a forced smile on his face. She was happy that he was just as shocked as she was. She wanted to punch the look off of Rachel's face but decided to force a smile on her face as well. She mentally told herself that all she had to do was three months then she was in the clear and a millionaire.

Sam stepped forward and extended his hand to her, helping her up to him then turned to the wedding officiant. He could feel Mercedes' hands shaking before she removed her hand from his and held her bouquet of flowers. Sam placed his hands in front of him and just clasped them together as the officiant began the ceremony. Sam kept trying to look over at the woman who the officiant called Mercedes but under the veil he could barely see her. Based off of her hands alone he had to say they were beautiful if that were to tell him anything at all. He pretended to listen to what the officiant was saying but his mind was already calculating what he would do with his million when he received it. By then, this day would have been nothing but a funny story to tell or in his case a funny show to watch.

"Now Sam, take Mercedes' hands and repeat after me." The officiant stated and watched as Sam turned slightly and reached for Mercedes' hands that were still shaking. "Say, I, Sam Evans, take you Mercedes Jones..." the officiant paused as Sam took the ring and slid it slowly on her finger.

"I, Sam Evans, take you, Mercedes Jones..." he paused and waited for the officiant to continue as he repeated verbatim. "To be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love..." he paused and took a deep breath and continued. "...and to cherish til death do us part."

"And now Mercedes..."

"I, Mercedes Jones, take you, Sam...Evans..." she paused and cleared her throat then continued with what sound like a crack in her tone. She couldn't understand why she was crying but she couldn't stop it as she continued. "...to be my husband..." she continued to slowly say the vow as she placed the ring on his finger. The officiant said a couple more things before smiling at the both of them then saying what Mercedes was dreading.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now unveil and kiss the bride." the room went completely silent then they could both hear Blaine Anderson speaking about the anticipation of the first kiss. Mercedes turned slightly, quickly debating with herself if she should let Sam kiss her or not. What if he was embarrassed by her declining his kiss? What if he didn't want to kiss her? All these thoughts ran through her mind as Sam slowly removed her veil and smiled at her. She wished she could read his mind but she couldn't as she saw him moving closer to her. She smiled back nervously then closed her eyes and inched over to him allowing his lips to press against her own for a few seconds.

Sam was shocked to see that Rachel paired him with the woman he met at her office a month ago. He forced a smile on his face and buried his annoyance deep as it was too late to turn back now. They were married. She looked radiant so he had to thank God that she wasn't ugly. It was time to kiss her and he could tell from her eyes that she didn't want to kiss him but he was going to do it anyway. They had to sell this marriage for at least ninety days and he wasn't going to let the fact that she was disappointed stop him from getting his millions.

Rachel smile with pride as the audience applauded the kiss that they witnessed. She couldn't believe she actually did it. She married two complete strangers and they kissed. She knew they were both upset with her but she didn't care. They delivered a beautiful wedding and Mercedes crying during the vows was everything. If that wasn't good TV she wasn't sure what was. She watched from the sideline as the ceremony came to a close then walked back to her office where she knew moments later Mercedes and Sam would be charging over to her. She sat back and crossed her legs as she counted down the minutes before there was a knock at her door. What she didn't count on was that Mercedes was past knocking at this point as she barged into the office with Sam in tow.

"You manipulative, bitch!" Mercedes said the minute she heard the door close behind her she continued. "You did this on purpose didn't you?" she asked as Rachel pretended to look shocked.

"What are you talking about, Mercedes? That wedding was beautiful! You both looked so..."

"Cut the crap, Rachel." Sam chimed in causing Rachel to look his way in shock as well.

"I am really shocked at how you two are acting right now." she replied. "Do you know that you both have just became a part of history?" Rachel asked and stood before walking over to Mercedes. "You, a black woman, just married a white man on national television."

"Oh so I should be thankful that you married me to the first hippy you found by the beach that was desperate enough to marry a black woman?" Mercedes asked as Sam stared at her immediately offended.

"Whoa!"

"I am just saying that you both are making great TV and should be proud that in a year you will both be millionaires and happily married."

"Wait...hold up...Rache, you mean in three months right?" Sam asked as he looked over at Mercedes. She looked as if she was minutes from taking off her wedding dress and fighting Rachel in the office right there.

"Well...in three months you will get a quarter of a million and then every three months you will get another quarter." Rachel responded as she walked back to her desk.

"No...no...Rachel...you said all we had to do was get married and we'd be millionaires." Mercedes explained with a smirk on her lips that said that she was not smiling because she was happy.

"Uh...did you read the contract over? I explicitly stated exactly how the both of you would get paid if you made it through the year. I did say that all you had to do was make it through the first ninety days to get paid. If you want we can get this annulled but you won't get paid anything sadly." Rachel replied before turning to face them. Before she knew what was happening, Mercedes lunged at her but thankfully Sam held her back.

"You're evil! Evil! You knew what you were doing!" Mercedes shouted as she tried to push Sam away. Although she was upset she couldn't help feeling a bit turned on at how strong he was and his ability to actually keep her away from Rachel.

"I am not evil!" Rachel shouted back as she cowered in a corner away from Mercedes. She knew Mercedes would be upset but she never thought that she'd get that upset.

"Mercedes calm down." Sam said a couple times hoping to calm her down. He hated Rachel for manipulating them but he still needed the money. Even if all he got was a quarter of it. That would be enough to cover his gambling debt and help him a bit with his sister. So he needed to calm Mercedes down before she screwed them both out of the money. "Rachel, give me a minute with her, please." Sam stated finally causing both of the women to look his way. Mercedes was looking at him as if she wasn't sure why he wanted to talk to her and Rachel just looked relieved.

"Use my office." Rachel said as she inched her way to the door. Before leaving she looked back with a mischievous smile and added. "Calm your wife down, Sam, before she ruins this for us all." Mercedes lunged her way once more as Rachel quickly ran out and slammed the door shut.

"Can you believe her?"

"Yeah." Sam shook his head shocking her. "As much as I hate to believe it, she outsmarted us and I am not shocked. I figured she was evil quite early. Nobody smiles that much and always writing notes..."

"Yeah I noticed she did that a lot." Mercedes responded wondering why she never worried that Rachel was trying to screw with them. She really thought that Rachel was trying to pair her with someone that she would fall in love with and also win a million dollars. She really thought Rachel could have been a decent human being.

"Look, I would love to let you bust her head in but all that would do is land you in jail and I'll have no money to bail you out because they would not use us for their show." Sam said as he tried to make her smile. She looked over at him then sighed because she knew he was right. Whether Rachel was evil or not she did give them a contract and she signed it because she was tired. She had no one to blame but herself and Sam was right if she beat Rachel up she would have been arrested with no one to bail her out but Sam. Then the thought made her realize what he said.

"Why would you bail me out?"

"You're my wife now. We have to be in this together if we want to get the millions. Sure we have to last a bit longer but I think even if we get just half of that we will be better off then we are today, right?" he asked as she sighed once again before nodding. "So come on, Mrs. Evans, we have a reception that is waiting for us to pretend that we fell in love at first sight." he smirked again as she looked at him with her huge brown eyes. She wasn't Quinn Fabray but for a million dollars he was prepared to pretend that she was.

"Alright...I think I can pretend you look decent in that suit." she smiled as he extended his hand to her and guided her to the door. She looked over at him and stared at his hair for a minute and before she could say a word he interjected.

"Don't even think about it."

* * *

Rachel was happy when Sam and Mercedes emerged from her office that she had on set. She thought that Mercedes was going to ask for an annulment the moment they barged in the office. All her efforts would have been for nothing but thankfully Sam came through for her. She smiled as she watched them wave goodbye before going in separate directions to get dressed for the reception. She quickly told everyone to start setting everything up and to bring Mercedes her dress. In effort to get on Mercedes good side she went to her dressing room to offer up a surprise that she felt would help Mercedes forgive her. The minute she stepped into the dressing room Mercedes glared at her then forced a smile on her face.

"You can come in, Rachel. I won't molly wop you as I really want to for the sake of what we have to do today and my million dollars." Mercedes watched as Rachel closed the door behind her then stepped closer.

"I am sorry about the confusion. I really thought you read over the contract." Rachel lied and she could tell that Mercedes wasn't buying the shit she was serving so she continued. "You look beautiful today and I want to help make this day memorable in a good way. I have spoken to the producers and they say that they are okay with letting you sing for Sam as we air. This will most definitely help your career."

"Are you serious?" Mercedes asked as a smiled tugged at the corners of her lips. "Any song that I want to sing?"

"Well...no and yes you get to pick the song that you like from their catalog of songs. ABC/Disney is sponsoring some parts of this show so they would like you to pick a song from any Disney movie. The recording they will immediately make available on Itunes with a portion of the proceeds going to you." Rachel responded hoping that Mercedes would agree. She watched as Mercedes mulled over the details before finally looking up at Rachel and smiling.

"Okay, Rachel, I'll do it. Any exposure is good exposure right?"

"So what song would you like to sing?" Rachel asked as Mercedes sifted through the catalog of songs. She paused when she found the one she wanted to perform. She felt the lyrics were perfect for the moment. She handed it to Rachel and suddenly felt that maybe this wedding day wouldn't be as horrible as she thought it would be. She didn't care that she had to pretend that she was singing to Sam. If that was what she had to do to sell the hell out of the song she was about to give the performance of her life.


	4. Episode 2- The Honeymoon

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I have just finished my novel and now to write fanfiction. Someone asked if this was going to be a slow burn type story...I don't know but compared to what I usually write it is different lol There are times u will dislike Mercedes and times you'll dislike Sam...I am making them both full of flaws...hope you can handle it**

* * *

Sam came out from his dressing room minutes later. Unlike the bride, he didn't need to spend hours changing. So he was back in the reception hall, drinking everything that went by him and chatting with the guest. He didn't know anyone there and they had no idea that Sam and Mercedes had only met moments ago. So every time they asked about how Sam met Mercedes or how he proposed, he would make up something on a whim. The whole thing was funny to him and he decided to make the best of it.

"She was getting her hair done and I was getting my hair washed." he said to one group then walked over to another group to tell another story. "She had a flat tire and I had a spare tire." he chugged another flute of champagne. "How did I propose?" he asked and laughed. "It's a funny story, really."

"What happened?" the woman asked as she watched him with anticipation.

"I proposed on April Fool's day. She was sleeping and I squeezed ketchup all over myself and spilled water on the floor before causing ruckus to wake her up. I wanted her to think I fell and hurt myself bad. She came running into the kitchen as I pretended to be hurt on the ground. She was minutes from calling 911 when I grabbed her hand and slipped the ring on her finger."

"That is so romantic." the woman said as Sam looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. Nothing about that was romantic but it was fun to tell it. He'd told so many versions of how he proposed that he started to tell the same group a new story. But before one of them could ask him about it, the lights dimmed causing Sam to turn.

"And now for a special presentation, Million Dollar Love would like to present...Ms. Mercedes Jones...well Mrs. Mercedes Evans-Jones, singing Never Knew I needed from the Princess and the Frog." Blaine Anderson said as a couple ballet dancers came out in glow in dark dresses. Sam was definitely impressed as he put his champagne flute down and paid attention to where the light was shining. Then a voice came out of nowhere that sent chills up his spine and he saw Mercedes step into the light.

"For the way you changed my plans." she started as her dress began to glow in green just like the ballet dancers. "For being the perfect distraction...for the way you took the idea that I have...of everything that I wanted to have...and made me see there was something missing..." she smiled as her eyes met with Sam's when she saw the shocked look in his.

"For the ending of my first begin...and for the rare and unexpected friend...for the way you're something that I'd never choose but at the same time, something I don't wanna lose and never wanna be without ever again..."she took a couple steps towards Sam and smiled when he looked around then smirked back at her before taking her hand.

"You're the best thing I never knew I needed...so when you were here I had no idea..." She guided Sam towards the middle of the dance floor as she continued to sing for him. "You're the best thing I never knew I needed...so now it's so clear, I need you here always." she continued singing it as the ballet dancers danced around them till she sang the last note. The room exploded with applause as she beamed with pride.

"And now for the couples first dance!" Blaine Anderson announced as everyone applauded Mercedes. Sam was still in shock as he took her other hand and brought her close.

"That was amazing." Sam exclaimed as he looked down at her. Mercedes blushed and continued to dance, trying her best to stare back at him lovingly when she didn't know a thing about him. She'd picture her first wedding dance multiple times and she never thought her husband would look anything like Sam. In all honesty, she'd always pictured marrying Anthony and becoming Mrs. Rasad but she was Mrs. Evans now and she had to play the part.

"Thanks, Sam."

"Seriously. You sound like..." he paused as he tried to think of an artist that she sang like then smiled at her and said: "Beyonce."

"Boy bye!" She giggled then stared back at his eyes as he looked down at her with his own gleaming. He was selling the love look and for a second there she overlooked the man bun mop he called his hair. They needed to pretend that they were in love. "Play the role, Mercedes!"she said to herself.

"I'd buy your album."

"Well, what I just sang will be on I-tunes tomorrow." she bragged as they continued to slow dance.

"I will be the first to buy it then." he said with a firm smile. "We gotta work together if we're going to get this money."

"I agree. We can't trust the short brunette over there." Mercedes said pointing discreetly over where Rachel was standing and staring at them with pride.

"Yeah, all we have to do is help each other. You can help me seem husbandly and I'll help you."

"Oh you'll help me, huh? How are you going to do that?" Mercedes chuckled as he spun her around then pulled her back to him. The room exploded with a applause again then grew quiet once more.

"Well, my lady, you know...I can help you with getting you to chill with your attitude problem." Sam said with a smile then frowned when she tried to let go of his hand.

"My attitude problem?" Mercedes asked as Sam held her hand a bit tighter to keep her from leaving or worse, slapping him. "I don't have an attitude problem."

"What do you call the attitude you're having right now?" he asked and smiled when she forced a smile on her face. "Look, I wasn't trying to offend you..."

"If we wanted to talk about things that needed help fixing, we could talk about that mop on your head."

"At least, it's all mine." he retorted and held her hand tighter again when she tried to snatch it away again.

"It's all mine. I paid for every inch of it." She responded then forced her smile again. "And if we're talking about attitudes, your whole hippy yolo attitude ain't the business either."

"It ain't the business 'cause it ain't your business." he said back mocking her.

"Did you just mock me?"

"Sure did." he smirked as she glared at him then pushed him slightly when he stepped on her foot.

"Can you watch your feet?"

"Not my fault that your feet are so long."

"Yo mama feet are too long!" she replied back then for the first time ever she saw that hippy yolo life smile that was always on his face fade away.

"Don't ever talk about my mother." he said to her between clinched teeth just as the song ended. She never thought that Sam was a mama's boy and for a second there she felt bad that she even said it.

* * *

 **After the reception**

Mercedes wasn't sure how to get over Sam telling her that her attitude was a problem. Especially since Sam moped like a big baby the rest of the night. He wasn't his normal self when Rachel told them that they were heading to the airport right after the reception, heading to Fiji. Rachel immediately reminded us that we were to pretend to be honeymooners and the look of anger on both our faces wasn't helping.

"What's going on with you two? You were a picture of perfection on the dance floor earlier."

"Ask her." Sam grunted like a child. "She started it." he said glaring at Mercedes as she rolled her eyes.

"How old are you, five?"

"Okay you guys, cut it or there won't be a show." she reminded them. As much as Rachel didn't want them to last a year. She needed them to at least seem in love so that she would have a TV show. Ripping apart lovebirds was better than ripping apart enemies. "The cameramen will be recording your every move going forward now, so you need to at least try."

"I can only do so much." Sam mumbled as he pulled his hair loose then ran his hand through it. Mercedes looked at his hair and groaned. She was never going to get used to that moppy mess he called his hair.

"Alright, you two! I will see you both in Fiji." she said before they got on the plane. They sat on opposite ends of the small plane the entire flight glaring at each other then forced themselves into their roles of newly weds when they arrived in Fiji.

* * *

"So the newly weds have finally arrived in Fiji. Let's see what they have planned for their first night together." Blaine said with a bright smile as the camera caught them arriving at the hotel. "How does it feel to be here in Fiji as newly weds?" he asked as he pointed the mic at Mercedes.

"We are so excited. Hubby here snored the entire way here." Mercedes said as she wrapped her arms around Sam and gave him a pat on his chest.

"Yeah, babe, but don't forget you drooled on me for second there too." Sam smiled then flinched when Mercedes gave him a harder pat.

"Awww...look at the two lovebirds. They can't keep their hands off each other." Blaine smiled. "We'll let the two love birds go enjoy their night as tomorrow they have a long day planned of exploring the Fiji island."

The minute they made it to their room they immediately went in opposite directions. Mercedes went to take a shower and Sam got himself a beer, took a sip before placing it on the edge of the window, then relaxed on the bed before falling asleep again. When Mercedes got out of the shower she couldn't help smiling at him lightly snoring on the bed. He actually looked cute when he was sleeping.

"I can feel you staring at me." he said with his eyes closed. She suddenly felt embarrassed and walked over to her luggage.

"I was not staring at you." she replied as she pulled out her nightgown. Sam slowly opened his eyes and looked over to where she was looking at the nightgown then behind her where a cameraman was standing and sat up.

"Look, I get it. I'm a hottie. I'd stare at me too." he chuckled then ran his hand through his hair. "Did you leave any hot water for me?" he asked and shook his head when she shrugged.

"I don't know...take a cold shower." she mumbled then laughed at her response. He glared at her then disappeared in the bathroom. Minutes later she heard the shower running and then Sam singing off key. She walked into the closet and put on her nightgown before coming out.

She got into bed and pulled out her cellphone to see what she had miss so far. She noticed a picture of Anthony with his girlfriend announcing that they had decided to move in together. Mercedes felt her heart drop to her stomach as she clicked on the girl's page and saw all the selfies she had. She was pretty and under her picture had a lot of comments but none were from Anthony. She smiled then angled the camera on her face and took a selfie before cropping out the cameraman that was appearing in the far corner. The minute she posted the picture and tossed it in the corner her phone binged notifying her of a message. She looked at the notification and saw Anthony commented under her picture and then minutes later he DM'd her.

"Hey beautiful." he said and she immediately felt her heart do a somersault. She looked over at the cameraman turned off the phone. She wanted badly to respond to the message but instead she tossed the phone under her pillow and lied down staring out the window when she noticed the beer bottle Sam was drinking sitting on the window. The bottle just reminded her of the nights she'd spent cleaning up after Anthony. One of the things they argued about and she refused to do it again. She wasn't going to clean up after a grown man.

* * *

Sam came out of the shower feeling a bit calmer than he did when he first went in. He decided that he would apologize to Mercedes about saying she had an attitude. He wanted to tell her that he really just wanted to make sure they won that money. When he got out Mercedes was sitting on the edge of the bed with a bottle of beer. He smiled at her and continued to dry his hair with his towel.

"Getting drunk without me?" he asked before tossing the towel on the ground then walking over to his luggage then dragging it to the opposite side of the room. He didn't notice Mercedes glaring at him as he sifted through his luggage and tossed things about the room. "What's wrong with you?" he asked when he suddenly noticed her glaring.

"Can we talk?" she asked as she got up and started picking up the things he threw around.

"Uh...yeah...I was thinking about talking to you about what happened earlier." he said then paused when he noticed her picking up his things. "I...wanted to...say sorry..." he watched as she picked everything up then finally asked: "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning up after a grown ass man, it seems." she replied then walked over to his luggage and put his things back in.

"I didn't ask you to pick it up."

"Look, just please pick up after yourself then I won't have to."

"Whatever." he mumbled before jumping into his shorts then unwrapping the towel from around his waist and tossing it on the bed.

"That's wet, Sam, put it in the bathroom."

"If it's bothering you then you put it in there."

"Get your mother to do it!" Mercedes responded then immediately regret it when Sam glared at her. "Sam...I'm..." she tried to apologize but Sam was already stomping out of the room and into the living room of the suite. Mercedes sighed knowing that she was in the wrong. Maybe he was right about her attitude issue and hated that she had to admit she was wrong. He was sensitive about his mother and she was as well so they had that in common. She would be just as mad if he said anything about her. She knew she had to apologize. She finally followed him to the living room, where he was already pretending to watch something on the TV. "Sam...I'm sorry. You asked me to stop it with the mother thing. I should respect that."

"Whatever." he replied as he changed the channel. He felt Mercedes sitting next to him before he turned off the TV and placed the remote down. Then placed his head in his hands as if he was wiping away tears. She prayed that she didn't make him cry.

"Seriously, I have a bad habit of saying _yo mama_ to everything. I don't know your mother and I shouldn't keep bringing her up every time we have a disagreement." she waited for him to lift his before she added something that she thought would make him laugh. "And I guess I might have a slight attitude problem...or whatever..."

"Slight?" he asked as he looked over at her then smiled when she shoved him lightly.

"Don't get beat up in front of the entire nation." she poked his side then chuckled when he poked her back a couple times under her ribs. "Hey stop that I'm ticklish." she whined and jumped up to avoid his finger from poking her again. Sam got up and walked towards her then laughed when she ran to the room. Sam ran after her and caught her before she could get to the bed. He tickled her till she fell on the bed laughing as Sam fell on top of her. He stopped suddenly and just stared at her as she giggled. Her laugh was really addictive. He almost wanted her to never stop laughing.

"Sam, you're staring at me." she said as she nervous wormed herself from under him then got up and made her way to the other side of the bed. She got under the covers before grabbing a book to read before bed.

"Sorry." Sam apologized then sat up and looked over at her. "I'll try to clean up after myself a bit more." he said as he grabbed his luggage and took it into the closet of the room.

"Thanks...I'll watch my attitude."

* * *

Rachel watched the playback of the days recording and smiled. This was TV gold. Sam and Mercedes were addictive to watch. She couldn't stop replaying their last few minutes after their argument. She almost thought she was going to have to run over and play referee for a minute but then they fixed it themselves. She had a fun day planned for the couple and couldn't wait to see it play out. She wanted Sam and Mercedes to fall in love so that she could pull them apart. And there was no way they could end up not loving each other after the romantic day she had planned.


	5. Episode 3- Inhibitions

**Y'all know our girl won the Olivier Award and I just feel like it was my sister that won that award. It is just weird how obsessed I am with Samcedes. Can I ever let them go? lol..never...Anyway, I am back with the next episode. Going forward I am going to start posting a chapter a week. They will be like episodes so we go as if we were actually watching them but also seeing behind the scenes that this universe doesn't see. We get to hear their inner thoughts and also hear Rachel. Anyway, you came for the story...hope you enjoy. Oh yeah thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate each and everyone of you.**

* * *

The next morning, Mercedes woke up to the sound of birds chirping and rummaging of plates and utensils coming from the kitchen then the sound of the front door closing. She looked over to her left then gazed at Sam lightly snoring with his hair all over the place and pillow wedged between them. She got up and stretched then shuffled her feet to the bathroom to freshen up. She took off her hair wrap and placed two neat french braids to hold off the rest of the day. Since it was finally morning, she was able to really take in the view. She grabbed a plate and walked over to the buffet that they had set in the kitchen for them. She was in Heaven when the aroma of the food hit her nose. She grabbed her book that she didn't get to read and her plate of food then made her way out to the small hut that they had attached to their room. The view of the beach being within steps off the hut was breathtaking. She couldn't believe she was there and married at that. When she first arrived all she wanted to do was jump in the shower then get in bed but Sam had other plans. He saw her in bed curled up with her book and immediately began asking her questions. Before she knew what was happening they were having a conversation till it was almost three in the morning.

 _"So...what you reading there?" he asked as she looked up at him and smiled before pointing to the cover of the book. He stared at the cover of the book as if he couldn't make out what it said then smiled when she replied._

 _"The Coldest Winter Ever."_

 _"Oh..." he nodded then looked at the wall for a second before turning to her again. "Must be a good book." he added as he smiled at her. Mercedes remembered nodding and giving him a quick smile then turning her attention back to the book. "Sooooo...Sistah Souljah?" he asked and nodded with her when she nodded back at him. She could tell he wanted to talk but she really just wanted to read one of her most favorite books. "Is it a war book or something?" he asked, which caused her to finally put the book down and smile at him._

 _"Sam, do you want to talk about something?"_

 _"No...no...you can go back to your book. I won't disturb you." he responded before laying down at the foot of the bed and staring at the ceiling. Mercedes smiled at him then grabbed her book again and continued reading till Sam began to sing. "I wanna be a billionaire, so freaking bad. Buy all of the things I never had..." Mercedes glared at him then sighed before closing her book and placing it on the night stand._

 _"What would you buy first if you were a billionaire?" she asked causing him to stop singing then look over at her and smile. "Well in our instance, since we will be millionaires in a year. What will be the first thing you do with your million?"_

 _"A house built and designed by yours truly for my sister and I." he replied almost immediately. "Then I'd put some away so that we won't ever have to struggle ever again." he stared off as if he could see the house built in the close distance. It was a side of him that she hadn't seen yet. Although he didn't say much about her, Mercedes could tell that his sister meant the world to him. It was cool seeing him as a mama's boy and overprotective big brother, but she wanted to ask him why he never spoke of his father. Unfortunately she never got the chance as the questions was reverted back to her. "What about you? What are you going to do when you get your million dollar check?"_

 _"If we win..."_

 _"When we win." he corrected her._

 _"Okay...when we win..."she stated then paused as she hadn't even thought that far into it all. Yeah, she had debts that needed to be paid and she needed a house but her thoughts only went as far as winning. "Well I got a couple debts I want cleared away. Then I want to set my mom off straight with her own house and then maybe my own down the block from her."_

 _"Debts like school loans?" he asked. "Why would you waste money on a college degree with a voice like yours?"_

 _"I don't know...for the right of passage I guess." she shrugged then continued. "It wasn't a guaranteed thing that I would make it as an artist so I went to school and got a audio engineering degree. Most of my debt is from studio time and acting courses that I thought I needed to make it." she explained suddenly realizing how she really had nothing to show for the debt that she had other than her degree. "Did you go to college?"_

 _"No. I learned early on that college wasn't meant for everybody. So right out of high school I got a job and gambled a bit to support my sister and myself." he looked over at her then noticed that she was on the verge of asking another question and started to laugh as he switched his focus. "I was really good at gambling for a while. So good that I quit my job when I turned nineteen and supported us for a while."_

 _"If you were so good, why'd you stop?" she asked suddenly intrigued about his story. Where was his parents through all of this? Why was he supporting himself and his sister?_

 _"My luck didn't last long." he replied and stared off into the wall again before breaking the silence again with a chuckle. "So, when we win this, I will do whatever I can to no longer have to gamble again." Mercedes remembered reaching over and giving him a comforting squeeze on the his shoulder before smiling at him._

 _"We got this!" she reassured him then decided to lighten up the conversation a bit. "So, how committed are you to that man bun?" she asked then laughed when he glared at her. "Just kidding, geez, so touchy."_

 _"If we can't talk about your hair, we can't talk about mine." he replied then joined her as she raised her hand to surrender, before they both laughed again. They fell silent for a minute as if they both didn't want the conversation to end there but weren't sure how to continue it. "So..." Sam said finally breaking the silence. "Are you named after the Mercedes Benz because your father liked the car?"_

 _"No...I was named after my mother's favorite actress Mercedes Ruehl." Mercedes smiled having heard the story of how she got her name so many times. "My mother claims that she went into labor immediately after hearing that Ms. Ruehl won a Tony for best actress at the 91 awards. My dad says whether she won the award or not my mother was going to name me after her anyway." Mercedes chuckled._

 _"That's awesome." he responded then chuckled and confessed that he had no idea who she was but he'd look her up later on Google. They continued to talk about their lives back in L.A. till Sam got up then grabbed a pillow and yawned._

 _"Where are you going?" she asked as she watched him drop the pillow the lounge chair that was in the room._

 _"Uh...I'm getting a bit sleepy and it's almost three in the morning." he replied with a smirk on his lips. She looked over to the alarm clock that was near her bed and was shocked that it was a few minutes to three as he stated._

 _"Oh wow...yeah...I guess I'm tired too." she stated then grabbed a couple pillows and started putting down the middle of the California King size bed then smiled at him before patting his side of the bed. "The bed is big enough for the both of us, Sam."_

 _"You sure?" he asked as he grabbed the pillow from the lounge chair and made his way back over to the bed with a smile on his face._

 _"These pillows will protect me."_

 _"I would never..." he paused then cleared his throat. "I mean, I wouldn't do anything...it's just..."_

 _"Sam, chill. You're sleepy." she chuckled then smiled when he ran his hand through his hair then slid into bed next to the pillows. He reached over and turned off the lights then turned to his side._

 _"I want to apologize now just in case my feet find it's way over to your side."_

 _"I won't mind it." he mumbled before swiftly falling asleep._

Mercedes was three chapters away from finishing the book she'd read damn five million times, when she saw Sam running down the beach. She should have known he'd have a nice surfer boy body but she didn't know it was that nice. She kept the book at nose level so she could peak at him as he ran. That long blonde hair of his that she wished he'd cut was slick back into that Godforsaken man bun again. She wondered why he wouldn't cut his hair but her mind drifted as he past by and she noticed how sexy his back looked as the sun hit his skin. Mercedes had never been that excited by a body before so she immediately tried to think of flaws to bring her focus back.

"That boy needs a tan like it's nobody's business." she mumbled before returning her eyes to her book then unwilling looking back at him before losing sight of him at the end of the beach.

* * *

Sam woke up and looked to his right and noticed that Mercedes was no longer sleeping next to him. Although he fell asleep before her, he did wake up an hour later to see her sleeping next to him. At first it took him by surprise then he looked down at his hand and saw the wedding band that he was now sporting. He was married and this was his honeymoon weekend away with her. Before their conversation last night he didn't know a thing about her and she knew nothing but his name as well. He felt they got a bit closer and suddenly felt that maybe they would really make it a year. Sure, he sounded confident when he spoke with her but deep down he knew things could go wrong. He needed her to last the year but if they only made it to ninety days he knew he'd have to gamble to double the money. He needed more than a quarter of a million to build the type of house he needed for his sister. So he was determined to make things work by any means necessary. He really didn't want to have to gamble again.

Minutes later, he was on the beach for his morning jog. As he ran, he noticed Mercedes under the small hut with her book in hand reading the same book he'd interrupted her reading before bed. He remembered back when he was dating Quinn that she used to read her books when she wanted to ignore him. He used to hate when she would have a new book because that meant he was going to be ignored. And if she had to study for an exam, forget it. He always knew deep down that she would leave him. She was extremely studious, whereas he barely cared at all for school. So he'd have to either study with her or pretend he was interested in whatever book she was reading to get some attention. For some reason he felt the same way when Mercedes was reading but the only difference is that Mercedes actually put the book down and talked to him.

Once he was done with his morning jog, he made his back to their hotel room only to find a letter taped to the door. He grabbed the note and sighed as he read _From Rachel_ written across it. "Guess it was time for them to actually act like newlyweds."he thought to himself as the smell of breakfast hit him as he opened the door to the room. He was hungry but he knew he needed to shower first. He made his way to their bedroom then tossed the small envelope on the bed then quickly jumped in the shower. Once he was done showering he grabbed the small envelope and made his way to the kitchen to make his plate before joining Mercedes out on the hut.

"Why didn't you wake me?" He asked, startling her when he finally joined her outside with a plate piled with meat and fruits. He walked over to the seat next to her sat down before apologizing. "My bad, didn't mean to startle you."

"You're good." she replied as she forced a smile on her face. "I was just enjoying this amazing view." she said as her eyes zeroed in on his bare chest and abs. Sam couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips as he nodded then looked out at the beach.

"Yeah, it's beautiful out here. I can see myself losing it out on a surf here." he looked back at her just as she was rolling her eyes. "What?" he asked with a chuckle as she sighed and shook her head.

"I should've known you were a surfer."

"Because I'm white?" he asked before placing a piece of smoked sausage in his mouth.

"No, because you..." she paused and looked at his bare chest again then back at him as he smiled at her discomfort. "Because you're blonde."

"Are you sure that's what you wanted to say?" he asked with his mouth full as he smiled at her. She glared at him then tossed a grape his way as he tried to dodge it. "Hey! It's a valid question." he laughed when she rolled her eyes again and chuckled before closing the book that was in her hand then reverting her attention to him. He couldn't help but to notice when she did it as he looked at the book for a second then back at her. She looked at him shyly and smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing." he quickly replied then grabbed the small envelope and tore it open. He scanned the letter and noticed what Rachel had planned for them to do that weekend. The only thing he found remotely interesting was the snorkeling and the boat ride. Everything else catered to what a woman would enjoy. He did not want to go dancing nor did he want to have picnic on the beach. Why would they even do that when the Hut was right there on the beach.

"What's that?"

"Rachel..." he replied as he continued to stuff his face then handed her the letter. He sneaked a look at her as she read, finally noticing that she moved her lips slightly when she read. And just that focus had his eyes focusing on how soft her lips looked. On their wedding day, when they kissed, it was done so quickly that he never really got to feel what they felt like. He looked away suddenly as he starting picturing reasons that he'd even get the chance to kiss her again. "Do I even want to kiss her again?"

"Oh wow." she mumbled causing him to look her way as if she heard his thoughts.

"What?" he asked and grabbed the letter as she extended it to him. He thought he read the whole thing but it was obvious that he'd miss a key thing. He continued to read the agenda then towards the bottom he noticed what caused that reaction. "She wants us to kiss by the end of the night?"

"She can't make us do that." she responded as she shook her head in disgust. "I'm starting to think that she is trying to humiliate us." Mercedes added then looked over at him as he pretended to stare at the letter. "Sam, are you okay? We don't have to do it, you know?" she reminded him.

"I mean, we are supposed to be newly weds. We have to convince everyone that we are at least trying to have a real marriage." Sam stated. "What marriage you know hasn't had a kiss or two." he added then looked over at her as she looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "But, I get it. You don't think you can pull it off." Sam shrugged and drank the last of his orange juice.

"You tried it!" she responded as he shrugged again. "Although I am a singer, I have acted before and this would be nothing to pull off." she responded as he smiled at her knowing that she was obviously lying.

"This is more than a commercial slot, Mercedes. You have to convince America that you're into me and kiss me on national TV. It's not simple...so I get it. We'll tell Rachel that kissing is off the table till you feel comfortable." Sam added with a stifled chuckle before getting up and making his way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. When he left he could see the look of panic in her eyes. She really was not ready to pull off this fake marriage the way he knew they had to do it. And there was only so much that he could do by himself. "I'm going to have to sneak a kiss on her." he thought to himself as gulp down the bottle of water.

"Sam..." he heard her say as she tapped his shoulder. He turned around and looked down at her as she placed her hand softly on his cheek then stared into his eyes. "This is all crazy and new for me. I have never felt this way about anyone before. And, I don't know if it's because of the romance of the island or maybe the honeymoon high, but I...I think I'm falling for you." she added softly before inching up to kiss him. Sam was in shock as he felt her soft lips press against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss before he had could even decide to take control of the kiss. And Sam didn't know when it happened but he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her into him as his tongue danced with hers till she moaned slightly causing him to moan as well. His left hand slowly pushed her closer to him as his other hand crept slowly towards her ass. Just as he was really getting to the kiss she pulled away but he pulled her back in slightly then allowed her to go. She pulled away and smiled before saying, just inches away from his lips: "Told you I could do it." she then sauntered off confidently leaving Sam in total shock as he watched her walk away.

Mercedes sauntered off quickly, then when she was sure Sam couldn't see her she ran to the bathroom and closed the door behind her allowing herself to finally breathe. Did she really just passionate kiss a man that she had no feelings for. She actually pulled it off and he liked it too. And if she was being honest, she liked it as well. He was a great kisser. She leaned against the door and touched her lips, still feeling the subtle pull Sam did when he didn't want the kiss to end. At least that was what she thought that was. And now she had to do that again on national TV when they start rolling the cameras. "How am I going to pull that off?" Mercedes asked herself as she tried to mentally boost her confidence to do it for the cameras. What just happened was a dry run. Thankfully it wouldn't be shown when the show aired. She hoped. Mercedes wouldn't put it pass Rachel to already have hidden cameras recording them. Either way, she had to pull the act off again and this time make sure she didn't moan on nation TV. Soon her mother would see her daughter kissing an unknown man after knowing him in less than forty-eight hours.

* * *

Rachel sat back in the room next to theirs and smiled as she looked at the recording. She'd only slept a few hours as she watched their late night conversation and then their morning conversation. The best part of the morning had to have been that kiss. She was going to air the kiss on TV after making sure the cutting floors edits it all and cuts off the conversation they had about Rachel planning the kiss. She'd already spoken to Will after the wedding and lied about the couple already hitting off. He was feeling a bit worried because the kiss at the altar didn't really look exciting. So Rachel reassured him a romantic day for the couple where they would end it with a kiss. And not only is she going to deliver that kiss on a platter she was going to have a morning make-out session between the newlyweds that would most definitely blow the socks off the viewers.

"You're great! You deserve this!" she said to her reflection in the mirror before grabbing all her folders then making her way next door. She knocked on the door and patiently waited for the door to open. She had a key but she didn't want them to know that she had a key. As far as they were concerned the hotel and room service were the only ones with access to their rooms. Once the door opened she stomped past Sam and began dictating the plans for the day. "Morning, Sam! I hope you had a good night's rest and great morning. We have a lot planned. I am sure you've had a chance to go over the agenda..." she paused and looked around then looked back at him and smiled. She could tell the kiss he just experienced still had him flustered. "Where's Mercedes?"

"Uh...Mercedes?"

"Yes, you're wife...where is she?" she asked then stepped closer to Sam and placed a hand on his shoulders. "Hey...are you okay?"

"Yeah...uh...yeah...and we got the agenda." he said as he forced a smile on his face. "Look about the kiss..." he started but stopped just as the bedroom door opened and Mercedes stepped out

"What kiss?" Rachel asked then looked between the two of them. Mercedes looked at Sam then Rachel. "Are you two okay?" she asked, waiting to see if they would actually say that they kissed. Sam, who normally sported the flirty smirk was now trying his hardest not to even look Mercedes' way.

"I think..." Mercedes said as she cleared her throat. "Sam, was wondering if maybe us kissing at the end of the night would seem a bit forced. Do we really have to kiss so soon?"

"Look, I know this is tough for you all to do with no acting skills and barely knowing each other, but I truly believed that you two might end up wanting to kiss tonight." Rachel replied as she put her arm around Mercedes, pulled her over then put her arm around Sam. "If you two would just go with the flow and let go of your inhibitions. You have no idea where this journey may lead you. You might gain more than a million dollars. You two just might find love." she gave them both a pat then walked over to the hut leaving the two of them behind. "Let's take this conversation outside. It's a beautiful day!"


	6. Episode 4- The Script

**Alright y'all here is the next episode. Sorry I made you wait so long for another episode. Lamimi I know u don't want me to do the whole weekly thing so I will just post whenever I get a chance. Anyway, soon you all will see Rachel's not as nice as she may seem. Don't hate me just read on to see if Samcedes will make it...**

 **Oh Lamimi asked about Stacy...you will learn about her soon...Sam doesn't really talk about her. He's sensitive about her but he will soon break down and tell us more about her.**

* * *

Mercedes and Sam sat in front of Rachel as she went over their days itinerary. The both of them trying their hardest not to look at the other while the lingering sensation of the previous lip session was still tingling their lips. Once in a while, Mercedes could feel Sam looking her way but she kept her eyes on Rachel trying to think how all of this would appear on national TV. She signed up for this life and she soon would have to lie to her mother and everybody else to make them believe that she married him for love. She didn't care about everybody else, all that mattered was that she was able to talk to her mother before she found out on live television.

"Okay, you both need to relax because the cameras will start rolling soon." Rachel said as she looked at the two of them. "And to help ensure that everything goes well. I have taken the liberty to write down a nice simple romantic script." She smiled proudly before handing each a script. "I've even added a small comedic banter between the two of you that I feel the watchers will think is cute."

"Uh...thanks, Rache, but um wouldn't this seem a bit disingenuous?" Sam asked as he looked down at the script. "I mean, this is a reality TV show, right?"

"Exactly...why would we need a script? Sam and I have no issues with banter." Mercedes interjected. Hell she could think of five things off the top of her head to banter with him.

"Cute banter, Mercedes, cute." Rachel stated as she pointed to the script and smiled again. "Look all reality TV shows are scripted. Believe me." she quickly got up and made her way to the door then turned to them and smiled again. "You don't have to do it verbatim. If you want to add your own sass to it, you can." she quickly disappeared before they could object again.

"Did she just..." Mercedes asked as she finally allowed herself to look at Sam. "How are we supposed to remember a full script in the seconds it will take for the cameras to get in here?"

"Maybe we can do a quick..." Sam stated as he looked at the script but stopped when the door opened and members of the crew came in. He watched as Mercedes was escorted to a separate area for makeup. Sam wasn't sure how well they could pull it off but from the scene in the room, he knew it was too late to back track or to ask for time to rehearse. Minutes later, he was being pulled into wardrobe as he wondered when the reality part of this show was actually going to kick in.

* * *

Mercedes tried to remain calm as she waited for the queue was given for her to step out of the room. As she sat down for hair and makeup she read over the script and tried to memorize most of it. She wondered if Sam was doing the same or if he was still feeling weird from the kiss they shared earlier. She gave herself a once over after putting on the bathing suit and shorts that she was given then sighed as she wrapped her mid-section with a sarong. As she tightened the side braid that they placed in her hair to replace the two sided braids she had prior, she listened to Blaine announce that they were moments from seeing the newly weds.

"Last week, we watched as two strangers walked off the streets of Los Angeles and vowed to marrying each other at first sight. With no prior engagements, no introductions to the family, no conversations prior to saying I do, we watched Sam and Mercedes promise to love each other through sickness and in health." Blaine said. With every word, Mercedes felt a rock hit the pit of her stomach. She looked down at her hand and stared at the ring on her finger as if it wouldn't have been there. "This week we will see our newly weds on their first outing together since the wedding, right here on the beautiful island of Fiji!" Mercedes heard him read off the different excursions they had planned for the two of them then there was a knock on her door as Rachel peeked her head in.

"Mercedes, come on. It's time."

"Can we discuss this script for a second?"

"No time come on. America is waiting." she stated as she pushed Mercedes slightly out of the door. "Oh and give me your cellphone, later on I have a surprise for the two of you." Mercedes slowly relinquished her cellphone then watched as Rachel rushed out of the light of the camera as it zoomed in then she heard Blaine announce her name as Mrs. Evans just as Sam was stepping out to join her. She watched as Rachel took his cellphone as well then eased out of the way as Sam stepped to the light.

"How excited are the two of you for these romantic excursions that we have planned for you?" Blaine asked as Mercedes tried to remember what Rachel wrote. She smiled nervously and stared at the camera as everything she studied flew out of her head. She couldn't believe that she froze right when she really needed to perform. She wanted to run off camera and remind Rachel how much she knew this wouldn't work.

"I think my wife is so excited that she just can't find the words." Sam quickly jumped in to rescue her before grabbing her hands. "We saw the list this morning and just couldn't believe that this is our life, right Mercedes?" Sam added as Mercedes looked over to him then forced a smile on her face before placing her free hand over his.

"Right, I am just speechless. I have never gone snorkeling before so, this will be my first." she smiled and nodded as Blaine beamed at the fact that they were holding hands. That was not part of the script but Sam threw that in and Mercedes could just see Rachel was loving it.

"Well, there's so much more in store for the two of you. You will be first getting a small boat ride out to a secluded island near by, before landfall you will be able to snorkel, Mercedes. Then there's a small hike that you will have to do before having a romantic picnic near a waterfall." Blaine explained. Mercedes was both excited and nervous about the snorkeling but she was not thrilled about the hiking. She could already feel herself sweating on the hike and with all the makeup they had on her there was no way any of it would look romantic if she was sweating from a hike. "And, when you return, we have a surprise for the both of you. We can't till you return."

"Uh...what's the surprise?" Mercedes asked nervously as Blaine smiled into the camera.

"It wouldn't be a surprise, if I told you." he chuckled before walking away as the camera followed him briefly. "Stay tuned. When we get back the Honeymooners will be on the boat. "Don't go away." Blaine stated as they cut the cameras out. Mercedes was still trying to figure out what the surprise could be as they walked towards the boat. She was so stuck in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that Sam was still holding her hand. She slowly pulled her hand away but wasn't quick enough when Sam took hold of her hand again.

"What are you doing, Sam?"

"Holding your hand?"

"Why? The cameras are not even on us." Mercedes responded as she tried to pull her hand away again. Sam smiled and allowed her to snatch her hand away when they got to the boat. He quickly jumped into the boat then turned back to look at her and smiled.

"Oh...do you need help getting in?" Sam asked as he extended his hand to her. She glared at him then took his hand and forced a smile on her face as she hopped into the boat. Once she was in Sam pulled her in for a hug and whispered in her ear. "The cameras are always watching." he slowly let her go before hinting for her to look towards a tree where a cameraman was indeed recording them. "You have to remember that Rachel said the cameras will always be on us going forward. So we have to be on it...at all times." he added before linking his fingers with hers. Mercedes looked over to where Rachel was busy on her phone and wondered just how much was she planning on showing the world.

"Do you know what her surprise will be later?" Mercedes asked once they found and area to sit. Just as Sam was about to respond that it had something to do with their cellphones but never got the chance as Blaine announced that they were heading off to the island and one of the cameramen jumped on board. Sam had nothing to worry about Rachel going through his phone. After marrying Mercedes, there was nothing else Rachel could do to surprise him at this point.

* * *

Once they were half way to the island they began suiting them up for snorkeling. Sam thought it was cute how nervous and excited Mercedes was about the whole thing. She kept looking over the edge of the boat and pointing at different things she'd see in the water. It all reminded Sam of the last time he took his kid sister to the Aquarium before their parents passed away. She was this excited, jumping from different sections of the aquarium to point out what she saw. The whole thing almost made Sam wish he could have brought her with him. Even though she wouldn't be able to enjoy the scenery, Sam couldn't help envisioning that Stacy would mirror Mercedes' excitement.

"Sam look!" Mercedes shouted again and bounced as if she were ten as the crew helped her put on her snorkel gear then handed her a small camera. "I'm 'bout to get my snorkel on!" she smiled genuinely and did a small shimmy. She was really excited and Sam could tell that this had nothing to do with acting. Sam couldn't hold back the smile that was tugging the corners of his lips as he watched her sashay around with flippers on her feet as if the world wasn't watching.

"You sure you want to do this? Can you even swim?" Sam asked causing her to turn his way and glare at him.

"Because I'm black you think I can't swim?" she asked as she put her hand on her hip. Sam chuckled because he knew she was just delivering the playful banter they stated they would do instead of the ridiculous banter Rachel had planned.

"My bad, just making sure my wife is safe."

"Worry about yourself, _hubby_? she sang as she watched him get geared up as well. Once he was done Sam walked over to the front of the boat and looked out into the ocean.

"Mercedes look!" he shouted to her as he spread his arms out then shouted at the top of his lungs: "I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!"

"Really, Sam?" she asked as she tried to hold in the chuckle then stepped out towards the edge of the boat. "Come on, the fish are waiting!" she started to go down the ladder into the water before Sam could get a chance to dip in first.

"Hey wait for me!" Sam shouted as he followed her down into the water. Once Sam hit the water he dipped under to see that Mercedes had already swam deeper down leaving him with just a view of her swimming like a mermaid among the fishes. Sam grabbed his camera and started recording her as he followed her. She was in a world of her own as if this wasn't her first time. He was completely at a loss for words as he watched her.

Mercedes couldn't explain the feeling she felt the minute she hit the water. She'd always loved swimming and she really had no excuse for why she never went snorkeling before. She continued to swim alongside of the fishes, snapping pictures along the way completely forgetting Sam. She didn't even realize that Sam was right behind her the entire time. She continued to record the different school of fish that swam next to her then finally remembered that Sam was with her. She turned the camera to him and struggled to smile with the gear on as Sam pretended to be Michael Jackson under the water. She felt she needed to let out the laugh and wasn't sure how to do it under all of the gear, so she quickly swam up as Sam joined her.

"Why are you so crazy?" she quickly asked once she pulled off the mask.

"Well...you kinda make me crazy." Sam responded as the smile on her face slowly faded. "What?" he asked as he tried to figure out why she stopped smiling. She was looking over his shoulder back at where the boat was then she looked back at him.

"You don't have to say things like that when the camera isn't near."

"Things like what? I am seriously. You make it easy to be silly with you...even when the cameras aren't around." he admitted. Mercedes stared at him for a second then her smile came back as she splashed water on him then swam off back to the boat. "Oh, I'm going to get you!" Sam shouted as he swam after her.

* * *

Sam and Mercedes got back on the boat as they headed towards the small island. After what they'd just experienced Mercedes tried not to let her hate for hiking change her mood. Unfortunately, the closer she got to the island the more she wished they were heading back to the hotel. Sam on the other hand was beyond psyched as he spoke to the crew they assigned to lead us on the hike. She looked at him in annoyance as she wished she had just half of his excitement for this excursion. She hated that he actually looked cute as he asked questions about the route they were taking. All she wanted to know was why in the hell did Rachel think hiking would be romantic?

"Hey, ya ready?" Sam asked as he walked over to her grinning from ear to ear as his wet hair tossed in the wind. His eyes seemed a bit greener than normal and she almost forgot that she didn't want any parts of the damn hike. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah...uh...I'm fantastic. Yay...so excited!" she lied as she raised her hands above her head and shook them without smiling. Sam stepped back and looked at her as if he wasn't sure what was going on. "I'm so excited."

"Did you tell your face?" he scoffed just as they reached the small dock that was at the edge of the island. "Are you coming?" he asked again without looking back at her but still waiting for her so that he could help her out of the boat. She sighed and gave herself a pep talk before getting up and reluctantly walking over to him. "Come on, you'll love it."

"Sure I will." she grunted as he helped her out of the boat. Mercedes could feel the cameramen zooming in to how Sam was gallantly helping her. She quickly forced a smile on her face and thanked him. Last thing she wanted to do was be seen on TV as a woman that had resting bitch face during what America might deem as a romantic evening. She perked up and followed behind Sam as he told stories of days he used to hike with his family back when he was younger. It was the most she'd ever seen Sam speak of his family so she tried to keep up to hear him talk about them.

"One time, my father wanted to go camping, get this," he chuckled as he looked back at her with his eyes gleaming as the memory replayed for him. "My mother didn't mind hiking but she hated camping whereas my dad, he hated hiking." he chuckled again then added: "Total opposites."

"Opposites attract they say." Mercedes added as she made sure she caught her breath as they kept trucking. Although she was enjoying Sam talk about his family she really wanted to rest. She felt like they'd been hiking for hours. "Are we almost there yet? We've been hiking for forty days and forty nights. Is Moses going to meet us there?" Mercedes asked as Sam looked back at her and laughed.

"You sound the same way Stacy sounded the last time..." he paused then pretended as if he saw something interesting on the ground. Mercedes wanted to ask him about but it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it. "Come on, we're almost there, right?" he asked one of the crew members then smiled when the crew member nodded. "Okay, jump on my back. I'll take you the rest of the way there." Sam added as Mercedes looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "What?"

"Are you insane?"

"What? You don't think I can carry you?" he asked. Mercedes wasn't sure if he was being funny or if he honestly thought he could carry her, but she was in no mood for jokes. "I bench well over three fifty, Mercedes."

"And your point is?"

"You are nowhere near three fifty, Mercedes."

"Lifting weights and carrying a grown woman are two different things, Sam." Mercedes responded as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Do you see these guns?" Sam asked as he rolled up his sleeves and flexed his muscles for her. Mercedes would have lied if she wasn't a bit impressed with his muscles. "Look, we're almost there. Once we get there I'll give you a foot massage." Mercedes sighed then smiled when Sam extended his hand out to her. She hustled over to him then hooked her arm in his arm as they continued the trail.

"So...tell me more about this camping slash hiking trip you had with your family." She smiled genuinely even though her feet and thighs were killing her. The camera zoomed away from them momentarily to cast over Blaine as he announced their next excursion.

"Looks like everything is going just swell for the couple." Blaine smiled. "Let's see if Mercedes gets that massage Sam promised once they've reach the romantic picnic spread that we have set up for the lovebirds under a cave covered by a beautiful waterfall."

* * *

Sam and Mercedes finally arrived a few minutes after and Mercedes had to admit it was worth it. Her feet were killing her but that view, that view was even better than the snorkeling. Behind the waterfall there was a small cave well lit with a spread they had on top of a tarp. It did look romantic but Mercedes really thought it was a bit much for the type of relationship she had with Sam. Then she remembered the rest of Rachel's stupid script and remembered how she wanted them to share a special moment then end the night with a kiss. Suddenly, Mercedes was feeling nervous, she felt as if the cameras were only on her and that she was being judged by all America.

Sam could tell that Mercedes was nervous as the cameraman recorded them sitting and eating from the picnic basket. Sam remembered that based on Rachel's script they were supposed to share a special moment and a kiss but he wasn't sure if they could do that kiss again. This time in front of all America. All he kept remembering was how he held on to her and moaned when she tried to move away. He wasn't sure that they were ready to do that on camera, but he knew they would. Their conversation on the hike there was better than the conversation they were forcing as they ate from the picnic basket. He needed to do something to help her feel comfortable. Because he knew that Rachel was losing her shit listening to talk about how good the food in the basket was.

"So...uh...is your feet still hurting?" Sam asked as he reached for her foot. Mercedes quickly pulled her foot away then shook her head as she took the last gulp of her champagne. "I promised you a foot massage."

"My feet doesn't hurt anymore." she lied then winced when Sam poked the bottom of her foot. "I'm ticklish."

"Alright...just relax." Sam responded, ignoring her plea for him to stop. Sam smirked as she covered her face and peeked between her fingers while Sam starting to massage her foot. "Here have some more champagne." Sam said as he offered to give her some more champagne. He smiled when she held up her champagne flute while still covering her eyes as he poured and massaged her foot with his free hand. After he put the bottle of champagne down he returned both of his hands to her feet and admire how well manicured her toes were. He hadn't seen pretty toes like them since he dated this one foot model for a brief summer. "How does that feel?" Sam asked with a smirk tugging his lips as she sipped her champagne and completely uncovered her eyes.

"Uh huh." she responded in what he could only explain as a few step short of a moan. Mercedes wanted to blame it on the alcohol but she had completely released her inhibition as she watched Sam massage her feet. He was really good at it and she couldn't believe she was letting him touch her feet and on television. Hell, she was married to a stranger and soon she'd have to tell her mother that she loved him even though she didn't. Soon, her mother would be watching their so called love story play out on TV. She needed to make that shit believable. She needed to fool everyone into thinking that she really fell in love with Sam. He wasn't bad looking and he seemed to have the family man thing going for him. All she needed to do was show her mother that she met and married a nice God-fearing family man that just happened to be a white man.

"Let me get the other foot." Sam said as he reached for the other foot but stopped when Mercedes pulled it away again. "Mercedes, I already did that foot." Sam said as he reached for her foot again.

"Wait..." she said as she placed her champagne glass down then inched closer to him. "I really had a great time with you today. You showed me a side of you that I didn't think I was into till now..." she smiled as she stared into his eyes. Sam stared back into her eyes and almost forgot that she was saying exactly what Rachel wrote.

"Mercedes..." Sam managed to utter her name just as she jumped into his arms and kissed him the way she kissed him early that morning. Sam quickly reminded himself that this was all an act as he wrapped his arm around her and reminded himself to keep calm.

* * *

"There you have it, America! A romantic night sealed with a kiss by the newly weds." Blaine Anderson said as the camera turned to him smiling while watching Sam and Mercedes kissing in the background. Rachel smiled as she watched them kiss and knew that the little surprise she had for the couple was sure to make a few changes to the next few episodes. She wondered how much longer was Mercedes going to feel so into Sam when the surprise was shown. She watched as the editing crew continue to show her different clips then waited on her to give instructions on what to do next.

"No more editing. It's perfect." she smiled as she looked at her email that confirmed that both of the surprises she had planned for the two were completed. She made her way to their hotel room then placed their phones on their bed before leaving the room. She couldn't wait till they returned from their excursion because the next few days were most definitely going to be interesting.


	7. Episode 5- For Stacy

**Sorry I've been gone for so long y'all. So much has happened since I last posted. Typing so much between writing my novel (which is completed), my job and writing fanfiction, I messed up my wrist. Anyway, you ain't come for the excuses, you came for the surprise. There's going to be a slight time jump, it's not that big but you get some recollection. Some revelations here as well. Enjoy and let me know what you think of Sam, Mercedes, Rachel and the surprise. I love fluff so I can't wait till they can be fluffy.**

 **This gets a bit touchy so I am sorry if I offend anyone. This is pure fiction and this will be kinda lengthy since I took so long to post.**

* * *

"Welcome back to A Million Dollar Love! I'm your host Blaine Anderson and we are back to watch our lovely newly weds end their honeymoon on the beautiful island of Fiji." Blaine said with a genuine smile. "Last time we were here, we watched the lovely couple go on a couple excursions. A lovely romantic boat ride to a small private deserted island, where the two hiked to a secluded area for a picnic. There we saw the couple close out the episode with a romantic kiss. Since then, they have gone on more excursions. Let's find out from the newly weds how they went." Blaine smiled as the camera panned over to where Mercedes and Sam sat. "So now that the honeymoon is over how do you two feel?"

"I kind of don't want it to be over." Sam said as he smiled and looked over at Mercedes. "Just yesterday we went parasailing and surfing. I got to teach her how to surf and that was pretty fun."

"Yeah, I was scared at first but he was a great teacher." Mercedes smiled as they showed a couple clips of them parasailing and surfing. She normally would not have done it but after Sam begged her to do it, he finally agreed to give it a try. She was shocked when she actually enjoyed it.

"So, when we head back to California you'll be surfing every morning?" Blaine asked before chuckling when Mercedes quickly shook her head. She enjoyed it but not enough to do it again. "Alright fair enough, Mercedes. So now that you're returning back home, what will the two of you miss most about your time here in Fiji?"

"I would have to say I'd miss the sound of the waves at night. It was very soothing to hear it at night. I really enjoyed the snorkeling and shockingly I enjoyed our hike." Mercedes smiled then looked over at Sam as he began to speak.

"Yeah, I actually enjoyed snorkeling and of course the hiking." Sam looked over at Mercedes and smirked before looking back at Blaine. "I'm going to miss this honeymoon phase because I know there's a surprise in the works for us. I really feel anxious about what that could be."

"Yeah, I am nervous about that as well." Mercedes confessed as she remembered the night they returned back to their room their cellphones were on their beds. She looked through everything but couldn't figure out what Rachel could have done with their phones.

"I have heard about this surprise and the producers have kept it really tight lipped. I don't even know what it is but they say it will bring a smile to your faces." Blaine smiled and turned his attention to the camera as he continued to explain that the couples were on their way to the plane to head to their new home in California.

On the plane ride back, Rachel avoided all the questions that Mercedes and Sam had about the surprise. She ignored when Mercedes requested to tell her mother about the wedding before the show aired and pretended she couldn't hear her. It wouldn't be a surprise if she told them what she had in store for them, but she could only say that it would be great. Great TV. She couldn't wait till the show began airing so that she could see her ratings. The show was due to air the following week and by then Rachel felt that she would have Sam and Mercedes confused. She wanted them to go on a roller coaster ride of emotions before getting them to finally say that they couldn't make it past the ninety days. And really all she needed from them was a months worth before Will would declare the show a hit and request another season.

She watched them as they sat back and looked over pictures from their trip. Unbeknownst to them, she was doing the same as she tried to figure out which picture she would use to display them. She knew between the two of them that Mercedes would be the most upset about the surprise but she wasn't too sure about Sam. He seemed like the type that didn't care but deep down, Rachel knew he cared a lot. She knew what his buttons were and she knew that he's kept that part away from it all but eventually his weakness would be displayed. She was hoping that it would be soon, since she needed to have a drama filled opening to keep people returning to watch the show.

* * *

On the ride to the house, Mercedes nerves were on edge as she knew that soon her mother would find out about her being married. She asked Rachel for permission to speak to her mother about being married before the episode aired and Rachel acted as if she didn't hear her. The entire ride to the new house she tried to figure out how to break the news to her mother but she couldn't figure out any way that wouldn't end up hurting her mother. Sam, on the other hand, looked as calm as a cucumber. He could tell Mercedes was nervous but Sam didn't really have family that he would have invited to the wedding. His best friend might get upset but he was just as relaxed as Sam was. And after spending all this time with Mercedes, he could even say his best friend would like her too. She was nothing like any girl he's ever dated and Sam knew that would be a shocker.

Sam and Mercedes were in deep thought when they finally pulled in the driveway of what they would soon call home. The driver drove down the gated driveway then parked in front of this wall that looked as if it were a waterfall. Mercedes couldn't believe her eyes as she and Sam quickly jumped out of the car. From where they stood they could see through one of the full length windows that the home had a generous open floor plan that she could see had stairs to a second floor. She looked over at Sam as he smiled down at her. She could tell that he wasn't used to this type of home as well as he ran to open the front door then paused as he waited for her.

"Should I carry you over the threshold?"

"Boy stop!" she giggled and swatted his arm as she entered the home. "Oh my...Sam...do you see this place?" Mercedes asked as Sam followed behind her. From the minute they stepped into the living room, they saw that it openness seamless connected the indoor space with the outdoor patio. "There's a pool, Sam, a pool." she said as she hit his arm again.

"Oww I can see it!" Sam exclaimed as he moved out of her way so that she wouldn't continue to hit his arm. "How many bedrooms?" he asked as he turned to one of the crew members. They signaled that it was a six bedroom with eight bathrooms as Mercedes and Sam turned to look at each other. "What are we going to do with all them bedrooms?"

"Fill them up with children." Rachel interjected as she walked through the front door with a smile on her face. Mercedes glared at her then looked at Sam as he smirked over at her before running up the stairs to check out the bedrooms. "What do you guys think? Not bad, huh?" she smiled as they continued to look around the place. "Were you surprised?"

"Yes...this is...too much." Mercedes chuckled as she gazed at the enormous kitchen with what looked like a kitchen made for a chef. "This kitchen is the size of my entire apartment." Mercedes had to admit that this surprise was definitely better than she'd hoped but she couldn't understand what their cellphones had to do with it.

"Well, I will let you two settle and I will be back with your surprises." she sang as she stepped back out. Sam was upstairs when he heard her leaving and came back down immediately.

"Wait, I thought this was the surprise?" Sam asked as he looked at Mercedes. "Do you think we get cars too with this deal?" Sam asked just as Mercedes pulled out her cellphone and stared at it.

"What the hell?" Mercedes couldn't understand why she was receiving so many notifications congratulating her. She quickly pulled up her Facebook page and noticed her profile picture was different.

"What happened?" Sam asked as he walked over to her and waited on her to respond.

"Did you change your Facebook page information and add that we got married?" Mercedes asked as she felt her heart pumping a mile an hour. Sam quickly grabbed his cellphone then pulled up his account and immediately saw what Mercedes saw. His phone was vibrating as notifications started to come in.

"I didn't do this." Sam said as he clicked to enlarge the profile picture to see a picture of them kissing and the first status showing that they were now married. Sam looked over at Mercedes as tears fell from her eyes.

"My mom is on my Facebook friend list. She's going to see this." she said as she looked at Sam. "How could Rachel do this to me?" she turned and ran up the stairs then minutes later Sam heard a door slam shut.

Any other day, Mercedes would have enjoyed the lavish decor of the bedroom but she couldn't enjoy it. Her mind kept going to her mother. Although under the status she wrote congratulations, Mercedes knew her mother wanted to say more. She checked her voice messages and saw that she had numerous messages from her mother and a couple from Tesla. The first few messages from her mother, she sounded concerned but not upset. Then the next message her mother demanded a call back so Mercedes immediately saved the message and skipped all the other messages. She was going to kill Rachel for doing that to her. That was not what she thought the surprise was going to be. Although she never trusted Rachel, she didn't think she would jeopardize the show. She told them that it was imperative that no one knew the concept of the show or that they were the married couple for the show. Why in the world would she air it?

* * *

Sam allowed Mercedes a couple hours to herself before he eventually decided to make his way up the stairs to console her. He understood that it was important to her that she told her mother first, but Sam couldn't get why she was so upset. Mercedes wasn't some child that needed approval to get married. He felt if it were that important then she should have told her mother and promised her not to tell. He knew Mercedes was close with her mother so he mentally told himself to put himself in her shoes and get her to stop crying. The cameramen were all over the place and he knew they would be in the room where she was crying as well. He made his way to the first door that he assumed she went into and knocked, waiting for her to respond. When she didn't answer he opened the door anyway and tried not to look at the cameraman that followed behind him.

"Mercedes?" Sam said as he stepped to her. She was on top of the bed with her head in the pillow with her phone in her hand as it continued to vibrate just as his wouldn't stop vibrating as well. People were shocked and congratulating him but all of his private messages were asking who the hell was Mercedes and how did he meet her. He knew what they really wanted to ask but they would never just say it. People were going to have questions but he had to deal with that later and be the supportive husband at this moment. "Mercedes."

"I don't feel like talking about it, Sam." She said without lifting her head. He shook his head as if she could see him nodding then sat next to her and gave her a pat on the back. "Sam, I'm not a puppy."

"Sorry." he quickly stopped but left his hand on her back and rubbed it instead. "I'm just trying to be here for you. I know you're really upset..."

"And you're not?" she asked as she finally turned to look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot red from crying and it all reminded him of the day his father passed away and his mother had to tell him and Stacy that he was gone. Her eyes were that red then too. He remembered trying to console her and that she asked him to pray with her so that God could give their father the message. Sam remembered praying with her and praying that his father got the message that they would miss and love him forever. He hoped Mercedes wouldn't need praying because that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I don't really have the bond that you have with your mother. And my friends, they'll support me with my decisions."

"It's not that she wouldn't support me marrying you, Sam." Mercedes responded as she sat up and looked over at him then saw that moppy hair of his and his pale skin. She wasn't sure how her mother felt about interracial relationships so this was all new for her. "My mother is usually supportive too but that is only because I am open with her. She had to find out through Facebook about us."

"I get that, but you knew that was a possibility going into this, right?" Sam reminded her as she just gazed at her fingers and sniffled. "Just call your mother and tell her that you were scared then apologize for the Facebook posting. I'll take the blame for that. Tell her that I was just so excited about marrying the love of my life that I couldn't wait to show you off." Sam added with a smile and waited till she smiled as well.

"You'd do that for me?" she asked. "You know she'll hate you forever, right?"

"I'll take the fall for you." Sam stated. Mercedes stared at him for a minute then quickly wrapped her arms around him. He was a bit stunned but then slowly wrapped his arms around her as well

"Thank you, Sam."

"No problem, Mercedes." he responded as they pulled back just as they heard a door close downstairs. They were starting to get used to the crew members that they never noticed how much access they had. "Are we getting more crew members?" Sam asked the cameraman then stopped when he heard Rachel's voice and two other voices. One of which he recognized really well. "Is that who I think it is?"

"I'm going to kill Rachel." Mercedes said as she tossed her phone on the bed then followed Sam down the stairs. "Rachel, you are so lucky that I am good christian woman and that all these crew members are here..." she shouted as she went down the stairs then stopped when her eyes fell on her best friend. "Tesla?" Sam was already in shock as his eyes fell on his best friend Artie before he ran over to him as Mercedes and Tesla shrieked then hugged each other.

"I told you I had a good surprise for you." Rachel said proudly as she watched the best friends hug. "You can thank me later." She added as Mercedes glared her way. She wanted to punch Rachel for what she did but she was so happy to see her bestie and she could tell that Sam was happy as well. "I have catering coming by later for you all so you can a getting to know the besties dinner. I will leave you all to your guests." Rachel said as she quickly excuse herself as she normally did.

"Girl, give me a tour of this mansion." Tesla said as she eyed Sam. "But first, introduce me to this husband of yours." She added as Sam turned to look her way. She extended her hand to him and feigned an interested smile. "I am Tesla, Mercedes' supposed best friend."

"Tesla, this is Sam...my...uh...husband." Mercedes struggled to say as she watched them shake hands. "Sam, this is my best friend since forever, Tesla. She's like a sister to me, I swear." Mercedes smiled then placed her hand over Tesla's protruding belly and rubbed it before adding: "And this will be my Godchild."

"Nice to finally meet you Tesla, I've heard so much." Sam lied then looked over at Artie as he waited patiently to be introduced. "This is Artie, my best friend that I keep telling you about." He continued to lie as Mercedes played along with him. "Artie, this is my beautiful wife, Mercedes."

"Sam has told me so much about you." Mercedes added as she tried not to eye his wheelchair. Artie rolled over to her and immediately took her hand in his then placed a kiss on her hand.

"Whatever he's told you about me, don't believe it." Artie said causing Mercedes to chuckle. "He kept you hidden so that I wouldn't take you away."

"Hmmm, I wonder why Mercedes kept Sam away too?" Tesla asked as she eyed the pair suspiciously. Mercedes hated having to lie to her best friend but she wasn't going to jeopardize her millions. She'd already hurt her mother so she had to win the money now. And if that meant lying for a little while long there was nothing else she could do.

"Girl, come on, lemme show you this how." Mercedes said as she pulled Tesla her way and looked at Sam as he rolled off with Artie.

* * *

"So you got jungle fever, huh?" Artie said as he looked back at Mercedes walking away. "I know you don't discriminate but damn...do you even know what to do with a _sistah_?" Artie asked as he waited for Sam to respond. Sam rolled his eyes and shook his eyes at his best friend. Growing up, Artie was always joking about how he was a serial dater but he'd never dated a black woman before. That was usually Artie's thing. He loved the sistahs, as he would say.

"What can I say, she captured my heart." Sam responded.

"But you never mentioned her."

"I don't tell you everything, Artie."

"You kinda do."

"Did you know about Kitty from the bar on sixth?"

"No...I caught her sneaking out of your apartment one morning, remember?"

"Exactly." Sam responded. "Mercedes sneaked into my life and I never want her to leave..."

"Like Quinn?" Artie interjected catching Sam off guard. Quinn left Sam in high school. She was actually the only woman to ever leave him. He was never around long enough for any of the girls he dated to break up with him. Artie always said it was because of his fear of being left the way Quinn left him but Sam would never agree to that. "Granted I would pick Mercedes over Quinn any day, but that's me. You on the other hand was crazy about Quinn."

"That was high school...this is the real deal. She's my wife." Sam replied. "There's a big difference." He looked over at her as she laughed with her best friend out on the patio catching him looking her way she waved. Tesla turned back and looked where she was waving then turned back to Mercedes. Sam could tell that Tesla did not like him as much as Artie was digging Mercedes. He hoped she would soon change her opinions of him.

Out on the patio, after Mercedes gave Tesla a tour, that she needed herself, they sat outside and joked about Rachel. Tesla explained to Mercedes that when she received a call from Mercedes cellphone she was shocked to hear the whiny white woman on the phone. She explained that Rachel seemed like a snake and that she wouldn't trust her at all. Tesla tried to ask more about the show but Mercedes vaguely responded about them winning a free wedding. Then apologized for not being able to invite her to the wedding.

"You know your mother's going to kill you then me for not telling her about this, right?"

"Don't worry, I will tell her that I didn't tell you."

"Good 'cause she already thinks I was lying and that I had to have been at the wedding." she added. "So...how do you deal with all these cameras in your face and space, girl. That shit would drive me crazy." she added as she pointed to one of the cameramen then leaned forward and added. "He's cute though."

"Girl stop before Matt kills that man." Mercedes said as they both laughed. Her eyes fell upon Sam's as he was looking her way and she couldn't help but to wave at him. He really helped cheer her up in the room. She had to admit she was lucky she was paired with him. He wasn't as bad as she thought.

"And...this Sam guy...you love him?" Tesla asked after she saw Mercedes wave at him. Mercedes was never good at lying to Tesla but she needed to convince her that she actually loved him.

"Yeah...he's an amazing guy." Mercedes said as she looked at Sam to avoid Tesla's judgmental stares. If she looked into Mercedes' eyes she would see that she wasn't in love with him. She did like Sam but they were so different, she wasn't sure if she could grow to love him or not. He had been sweet to her several times and she loved a nice sweet man. "He's big on family...the little bit he has. When he talks about his little sister...I can just feel he'll be a great father..."

"Hold up now, you're thinking of having his babies, Mercedes?" She asked cutting Mercedes off.

"I mean, he is my hus..."

"Did you see the mop on his head?"

"He's not bad looking."

"His hair...girl...you might have some Albino babies..."

"Tesla, don't be ignorant. Sam is very attractive and again he's really sweet." Mercedes added firmly. She never thought that Tesla felt that strongly about it all and prayed that she would at least remain open minded.

"Did you guys already..."

"Hey guys, Rachel just called and said that they will start serving dinner soon and filming. Hair and makeup is coming in a few minutes." Sam said interrupting Tesla. Mercedes was happy that he came when he did. She did not want to tell Tesla that all she's ever done with her husband was kiss.

"Come on girl, let's go get did up." Mercedes smiled thanking God for timing.

* * *

Later that evening, they all sat at the dinner and quietly scattered food around their plates. Mercedes could feel that Tesla wanted to ask plenty questions. She silently prayed that she wouldn't offend Sam. He'd been so nice to her she was not ready to have to defend Sam against her best friend. Sam, on the other end, hoped that Artie wouldn't bring up Quinn. The cameraman looked as if they were bored at watching us silently eye each other over the table. Sam knew it was up to him to get the party going and get on Tesla's good side as he could feel her staring at him.

"So, Tesla, you're having a boy or a girl? Twins?"

"Twins? Do I look too big for you?" Tesla asked as she glared. "I am actually just carrying one baby." Sam looked over at Mercedes as she shied away from him then looked at Artie who shook his head at him.

"Oh...uh...ok..."

"Be nice, Tesla." Mercedes muttered under her breath. She hated how sensitive Tesla was. Even though she was Mercedes' best friend, she sometimes felt herself walking on egg shells whenever they spoke.

"So, Sam, Mercedes says you're a family man. Has she met your mother? Seeing as Mercedes hasn't brought you to meet her mother."

"Tesla!"

"I'm just saying." Tesla said as she shrugged. "I'm sure his mother is mad about not being invited to the wedding."

"The wedding wasn't about my mother. It was about me and Mercedes." Sam responded. Mercedes also learned early how sensitive Sam was about his mother but he was holding it all in.

"I am sure Sam's mother would have loved Mercedes." Artie interjected finally then wished he didn't when Sam looked his way. "Uh...Mercedes, do you think your mother would like Sam, when she meets him?"

"Uh...yeah...of course!" Mercedes quickly said as she could tell Tesla was prepared to say hell to the no. "She'll see that Sam is sweet, cares about his family and God fearing. That's all she ever cares about." Mercedes responded with a smile that quickly faded when she noticed Sam and Artie weren't smiling back. "What? What did I say?"

"Uh...I don't believe in God, Mercedes."

"Oh hell to the no, Mercedes! How did you not know he was an atheist?"

"I never said I was an atheist." Sam quickly replied as Mercedes sat stunned. She didn't know what to say. She felt herself getting upset again. She knew she told Rachel that she wanted a God fearing man, but it was obvious that Rachel never cared. How could he not believe? She looked over at Artie as if he had an answer to her internal question but he just shook his head as if he didn't want to say a word.

"Sam, how can you not believe in God? He's all around us. You have to know that."

"You can believe in God if you, just respect my wishes to choose not to believe." he responded as he continued to eat. He could feel everybody looking at him but he chose to ignore it. This was a touchy subject and he just knew it was not going to go away quietly.

"Sam, I just don't get it. You're such a sweet guy...yeah you don't really care about much but you're sweet..."

"Oh so only people that believe in God are sweet? I know some that believe in God that are evil..."

"I get that, Sam, and I'm sorry but I just don't get how..."

"What's there to get? God is not real just like Santa Claus! I had to learn the hard way so...I guess you're learning today." Sam shrugged. Mercedes felt herself getting upset and she could no longer hold it in. She stood up and pointed her finger at him as she said:

"Don't you dare say that! God has helped many people in hard times..."

"Where was he when I needed Him then? Huh?" Sam asked cutting her off as he stood as well. "Where the hell was He when my father was dying of cancer and we begged him, through prayer, to save my father? Where?"

"Sam..."

"Where was he when Artie was in his car accident?" Sam asked as he pointed over to Artie.

"Where was he when my mother got in her car with my sister and decided to drive off in a bridge? Luckily for God I made it in time to save my sister's life but at what cost? Huh? I prayed and begged him to wake her? But guess what? SHE IS STILL IN A COMA! HE IS NO WHERE IN SIGHT! SO DON'T TELL ME THAT GOD HELPS PEOPLE!"

"Uh...can somebody help me get out of here." Artie said as he and Tesla watched Sam and Mercedes glaring at each other.

"No you stay! I'll leave!" Sam said as he snatched his mic off and threw it to the ground then walked out of the house. Mercedes hated that he felt that way about God but she also hated that he'd been holding all that in this whole time.

"Girl, what the hell?" Tesla asked as the front door opened again and Rachel came pouncing in. Mercedes had had enough of Rachel's schemes as she stomped to meet her half way.

"Don't you dare open your mouth to speak to me! Don't you even look like you're about to speak to me!" Mercedes said as Rachel looked at her in shock. "You knew he went through all of that and you just kept that from me."

"Mercedes, your his wife. You should know these things." Rachel responded as she darted her eyes over to Tesla and Artie.

"I am so over it!" Mercedes said as she prepared to stomp up the stairs. She was ready to say forget it all then she saw Sam walking in the backyard and she remembered how he was there for her when she was upset. "Ugh! I swear I hate you!" she added as she started to remove her mic as well.

"Mercedes, you have to keep those on."

"I swear to God, Rachel, say one more thing to me and I will make you eat these damn mics." Mercedes said as she glared at Rachel. "I will go talk to Sam...alone." she added as the cameramen followed but stopped when she slammed the door on them. Minutes after she left, Rachel texted another crew member to follow her and record everything. She knew that this was about to be television gold. Meltdowns always made great TV.

* * *

Mercedes didn't know how close they were to the beach till she went looking for Sam. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to him but she prayed she could get him to know that she didn't mean to upset him. She always wanted to know why he never spoke about his family. Now she knew and she had no idea what to do with the information that she got. She never had a sister but if she did she wouldn't be as strong as Sam was for his sister. She wanted to tell Sam that but first she had to find where he went. She was about to give up and head back to the house when she noticed his hair flapping in the wind. It was a weird feeling that she couldn't explain, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She stopped mid step to place her hand on her heart then back at Sam before taking a breath and making her way to him.

"Sam." she said once she was steps away from him. He lifted his head a bit but he didn't look over to her. She continued even though he didn't acknowledge her then sat next to him and looked out into the water as he was. They sat in silence for a while with just the sound of the water hitting the shore and birds calling out to each other. The view was beautiful but suddenly the silence was broken by Mercedes. "Sam...I'm sorry." she said and looked over to see if he would look her way but he didn't so she continued. "I shouldn't have said what I said back there."

"I'm sorry I yelled." he finally said but still didn't look her way. They fell silent again. Mercedes wanted him to look at her so she decided to get up and sit in front of him. He looked at her, eyes red from crying and finally she saw everything he'd been holding in.

"I never asked about your sister before because you seemed as if you didn't want to talk about her." she said as she reached over and took his hand. "I think you're holding too much inside. Your always so happy go lucky but you've been holding all this in. I need you to know that I am here for you if you ever want to talk about it." she finished and watched as Sam looked at her then at her hand as she held his. "I know you don't believe in God and I will respect that. It'll be hard but I will try my best...ok?" She waited for him to respond but all he did was look at her. "We gotta do this for your sister. She needs this more than I do...and you know it's just you and me in all of this. We can't let Rachel win. We can do this, right?"

"For Stacy." he finally said as a smile spread across his face.

"For Stacy. I like that name." Mercedes smiled and pulled him in for a hug. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close as he felt his heart racing. It had been a while since some has gotten so many emotions out of him. He couldn't explain it but he didn't want her to pull away but she did and they sat in silence again. "Sam..."

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me about Stacy? If you don't mind...I...I just want to know her." she looked at him as he struggled with the decision then immediately tried to walk out of it. "I'm sorry...forget I asked...I'm sorry." Sam reached over and took her hand pulling her closer to him.

"I want you to know." he added then smiled when she intertwined her fingers with his. "My sister would really like you."


	8. Episode 6- Meet the Family

**Thank you for returning and reading this crazy reality TV show fanfic of my mine. I am sorry that I haven't updated as quick as I promised. This has been a crazy couple of days, but I am back. I do want to briefly respond to the reviews before setting off the next episode:**

 **Sam and Mercedes won't exactly realize that Rachel is ultimately trying to cause them to crash and burn. Rachel in this fic is like season 2 when she met Sunshine and sent her to the crack house.**

 **I made Mercedes like her season 5B character and Artie was the same as well as Tesla. Sam is all over the place lol. This chapter is called meet the family. This is really lengthy for me. Geesh. Maybe these episodes are too long...let me know if I should split them or if you like long updates. Hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

Sam and Mercedes sat for a while near the shore as he told her about how things were when his father fell ill. He smiled as he explained how active his family was with outdoor activities and church. Mercedes sat quietly and just listened to him as he told her memory after memory. Once he started explaining how life changed for them after his father passed away, Mercedes noticed the smile that was on his face had faded. He explained that once his father passed he had to step up and get a job to help out around the house. He no longer had the normal life of a college kid.

"It was all work and no play because once I got home, I had to do everything. My mother would barely get out of bed. All she wanted to do was cry." Sam explained. "That night I was leaving work when Artie came by and invited me to a party. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't go and I should have…"

"Why didn't you?"

"I was tired of being stuck at home and didn't think a few hours at a party was going to be a big deal." He shook his head then shrugged before he continued. "My sister called me and asked me where I was and I told her that she didn't need me there. You know, since my mother was there with her." He looked over at Mercedes then returned his gaze back to the water. "She texts me seventeen times before I finally took her pleas seriously and left the party with Artie."

"Oh Sam…" Mercedes couldn't find the words to console him as tears started to fall from his eyes. He pulled out his phones and started to scroll to his text messages before handing the phone to her.

"That was the last thing she texted me." Sam stated as Mercedes read the messages. It had been years and Sam still kept the text messages. He still kept the cellphone. She wondered how many times had he read those messages. Each time, killing himself emotionally as he read his sister's plea for him to come home. Mercedes felt herself almost tearing up as she read Stacy saying that she was scared that their mother was yelling and acting weird. Sam sent her one response, saying he was coming. "I rushed home immediately, but my mother's car wasn't there so I tried to think of where she could have gone. Artie was the one that suggested we ride around to see where she went."

"And you found them right?"

"I was right behind her and honked my horn at her to tell her to pull over. And I thought that she was pulling over when she merged a bit to the side of the bridge. I pulled over and jumped out of the car just in time to see the car not stopping as it hit the railing. I was in shock. I couldn't understand what was going on. When I finally realized this was really happening I ran behind the car and jumped into the river."

"Sam." Mercedes said as tears finally escaped her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She tried to put herself in his shoes but couldn't think of what she would do if she were there at that moment.

"When I got to the car, my mother was slumped over, my sister was pulling on her seat belt. Luckily, I still had my things from working at the warehouse, so I pulled out my shank and cut the seat belt loose. By the time I got her out of the car she was slumped over like my mother. I pulled the both of them out of the car. For the life of me, I don't know how but I got them out of the water. I tried to perform CPR on Stacy first. By then, Artie already called the local fire department. They tried to revive my mother but she never came to."

"And Stacy?"

"She opened her eyes once and never opened them again." Sam replied as he ran his hands through his hair. "I should have been there for her. I never should have left her alone with my mother."

"Sam, it wasn't your fault. You didn't know any of that would have happened." Mercedes quickly responded. "And you were there for her. You saved her life, Sam. You have to see that." Mercedes tried to console him as she hugged him and rubbed his back. "Because of you and everything that you've done for her, Stacy will wake up. And when she does she's going to need her big brother again,okay?" she pulled away and looked him in the eyes as he looked back at her then shrugged. He no longer looked like the happy go lucky no care in the world guy. All of his emotions that he pushed inward had come out full force and it looked like he could no longer hold them in. He quickly stood up and began backing up as Mercedes stared up at him. "Sam?"

"Look, thanks for listening, but I...I don't know...I need some time alone."

"No you don't, Sam. You're not alone anymore and you don't need to hold everything in." She jumped up and quickly made her way towards him. "Stop pushing people away so that you can struggle alone." She said as she reached for his hands and held it. "I'm here now and you can talk to me...about anything." Sam stared at her for a minute before finally nodding and pulling her in once more for another hug.

Rachel couldn't believe what she was able to get on the recording. Her mind was working in overtime as she tried to think of a way to spin this to make the episode even better. She looked over to Tesla and Artie, who were obliviously to the fact that she was watching Sam and Mercedes on her laptop. They were busy talking about her baby that she was able to listen in on their conversation as well as listen in on Sam and Mercedes. It was obvious to everyone after the outbreak that Sam and Mercedes both cared deeply about their family. So it was time they both met the family.

* * *

Mercedes and Sam returned back hours later, apologizing to Tesla and Artie about being gone for so long. Moments later, Tesla and Artie both left leaving Sam and Mercedes with Rachel. Mercedes was still upset with Rachel and deep down she wanted to punch the fake concerned look off of her face. Rachel was only concerned with getting ratings and didn't care who she hurt on the way there. Although she liked this new side of Sam, she knew had they met on other terms they would have never gone as far as even a date, let alone getting married. Sam wasn't her type physically and she was sure that the feeling was mutual. Sam, on the other hand, couldn't explain it but even though they were completely different, he found himself starting to like Mercedes. Physically, she wasn't at all like the women he normally dated but her personality was definitely something he realized he needed. And he wondered if that was what Rachel was thinking when she decided to put them together. He knew she had a motive but whatever the reason, he was starting to feel that the marriage might actually work out.

"So, I have been on the phone all night trying to see if maybe we can get you into some counseling or..."

"I'm good, Rachel." Sam interjected before she could finish. Last thing he wanted was for her to try and record him talking to a counselor for all of America to see him crying like a bitch over his mommy. "Let's just move past this." Sam stated as Rachel looked over to Mercedes then back to Sam and nodded.

"Okay, well, you know that the show will be airing soon so I was thinking just as a gesture of good faith, I would let you tell your family." Rachel smiled. "Sam, your sister isn't too far from here. We could take you and Mercedes over there so that you can introduce your wife..."

"Rachel, are you insane?" Mercedes quickly asked as she shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe that after seeing how Sam broke down earlier that he'd want to even go anywhere. "What is the matter with you? His sister is in a coma...you cannot be this insensitive..."

"No...It's okay Mercedes." Sam said cutting in as he put his hand over her hand to stop Mercedes mid-step. "I want you to meet her."

"Great!" Rachel exclaimed as she turned and smiled at Mercedes. "After we leave there we will fly straight to Lima and meet your parents." She was smiling at Mercedes. Although internally, Mercedes was happy as well as nervous to see her mother after all of this, she still wanted to punch Rachel. Every time she opened her mouth she just angered Mercedes.

"Can I at least call her and tell her that we're coming?" Mercedes asked. She felt if she could prep her mouth for what was to come then possibly she wouldn't go totally off like Tesla did. They had one hell of an evening and now they were going to meet the family. She knew that was going to be an interesting meeting that neither she nor America would be ready for.

"No worries, Mercedes. I already spoke to your mother and she is beyond thrilled." Rachel said as she turned to leave. "Rest well, we leave at eight prompt." She added before leaving. Sam sighed as he looked at Mercedes. The way she was glaring at the door as if she could still see Rachel, was a bit sexy. Normally Sam would have told her to chill but at that moment, she looked really sexy.

"Why is she always one step ahead of us?" She asked as she looked over at Sam finally noticing that he was staring. She felt a sudden rush flow through her as he tried to pretend that he wasn't just caught staring at her.

"Well, she's the producer." Sam responded as he walked over to the door locking it then placed the code into the alarm before heading to the kitchen. Mercedes followed him and allowed her eyes to linger on him as he stretched in front of the opened fridge. His shirt inched up a bit allowing her eyes to fall on his abs as it peeked from below. He had a slight tan from the honeymoon and she had to admit it was looking good on him. "Mercedes?" She heard him say as he looked back at her then smirked her way. "Hey, where'd you go there?" he asked as he snapped his finger her way.

"Uh...uh...guess I am more tired than I thought." she lied and pretended to rub her eyes. He looked at her quizzically then at the timer on the microwave before looking back at her.

"Really?" he asked as he handed her a beer from the fridge. "I thought we could wind down in front of the TV for a few before bed." he looked her way as she took a sip of her beer then looked his way. "I just don't want your last thought of me to be a vision of me crying on your shoulders."

"Sam, showing emotion doesn't make you less of a man." It was crazy that he was starting to enjoy hearing her say his name in that way. It was a bit of a soft whine mixed with a bit of reassurance, maybe even a little flirty. The latter may have been his mind playing tricks on him but it made him smile.

"I know...but if you're going to have dreams about me tonight, I would rather it not be a vision of me crying." Sam winked at her before taking her hand and guiding her towards the living room. She reluctantly followed him and allowed her eyes to admire how nice his shoulders looked under his Henley. "If you fall asleep..." Sam added as he sat down then guided her towards the seat beside him before patting on his lap. "You can just lay your head here."

"Sam." she whined but still sat next to him but instead of putting her head in his lap, she sat stiffly next to him. It didn't make any sense why she was suddenly nervous about him when they'd kissed before. Something about things were different now. They'd seen enough emotionally vulnerable and feelings were now growing. She was seeing Sam as someone she could actually fall for him. She couldn't even stop herself from looking at him from her peripherals as he sipped his beer with a smile on his face. "Why the hell was he smiling?" she asked herself as she pretended to be interested in what was on the TV.

"So...I am excited and nervous about tomorrow." he finally said as he looked her way. She wasn't looking his way, which lead him to believe that she was feeling exactly what he was feeling. "I think I'm ready to meet your mother."

"You're not ready for my mama, Sam." Mercedes responded as she sipped her beer and relaxed a bit. She couldn't wait to see her mother, even though she was afraid of what her mother was going to say. She knew eventually her mother would forgive her.

"Yeah, well, you'll be there with me...so it'll be worth it." Sam replied as he smiled her way. Mercedes immediately stiffened again when Sam reached over and placed his hand on her knee.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Mercedes asked as she slid away from him.

"Uh...sorry...I...uh..." Sam suddenly felt maybe he was seeing something that wasn't there as she stood up and looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "I thought we had a..."

"Sam, you know this isn't real, right? I am not falling in love with you or whatever." she added before he could even answer. Sam wanted to apologize but she lifted her hand to stop him then shook her head. "I think I'll go shower for bed." Mercedes shuffled her way to their bedroom and into the en-suite bathroom. As she showered she told herself that none of it was real. That they didn't need to fall for each other just because they want to win the million dollars. All they had to do was play the role when the camera was rolling and people were around. The moment she was done with her shower she rubbed her body with the oils that were placed in the bathroom and wrapped her hair in a nice wrap before slipping on a pair baby blue satin shorts and tank. She stepped out of the bathroom and walked into bedroom, noticing that it was quiet down in the living room. She peeked out of the room then down the stairs and noticed that Sam wasn't on the couch. "Where the hell did this boy go?" She asked, wondering if he'd left after what she said. She noticed the alarm was still on, so she knew he was still inside. She walked around peeking inside each room till she found the one that he was in.

Sam felt horrible as he jumped into the spare shower to wash up before bed. While he showered he wondered if it would be best to sleep in a separate room since he messed things up. Once he was done washing up he slipped into a pair of sweats then got into bed and stared at the ceiling as he thought of ways to apologize in the morning. Last thing he wanted was to arrive at her mother's house with Mercedes afraid to even sit next to him. He was deep in thought when he saw her pass by looking into the rooms. He smiled as he watched her looking for him. He remained in bed with his arms behind his head as he pretended not to see her when she finally found him. She leaned on the doorway, even with the lights off, he could see her glaring at him.

"Really, Sam?"

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." he replied without looking her way. She remained at the doorway for a minute before sighing loudly and turning away as if she was heading back upstairs. Sam frowned then felt his smile returning as she stomped back into the bedroom and pulled the covers back.

"I'm kinda used to your snoring by now." She lied as she jumped into the bed. They were in bed quietly staring at the ceiling for what felt like forever. Sam wanted to pull her near him again, especially since her vanilla body oil was taking over the room. Instead, he just sighed as she shifted next to him. She couldn't find a comfortable position. She just wanted him to put a shirt on because his body was calling her.

"Mercedes?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"Are you sleeping?" Sam asked before turning to face her. He waited for her to face him before he smiled when she sighed and rolled her eyes. She tucked her hands under her head then looked over at him. "I can't sleep." Sam finally confessed.

"Just close your eyes. My mother used to tell me that." she replied with a smile before closing her eyes. Sam nodded as if she were still looking at him then reached over to take her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at him as he held her hand then rubbed the top with his thumb.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Make it quick." Mercedes muttered. It was crazy that he was getting a reaction out of her by simply holding her hand. "What is wrong with you, Mercedes?" she asked herself as she tried to avoid his eyes.

"I know that this thing we have...is just something we're doing for a million dollars...but would it be a bad thing if we actually gave this a shot? You know, see if maybe we might have something real here." he finished. Mercedes stared at him for what felt like hours to Sam, as continued to stroke the top of her hand. She looked down at their hands and tried to think of them as a real couple. Sam was a very attractive guy and he was sweet but Mercedes couldn't help wonder what her mother would think of Sam. Especially when the show airs and she sees Sam was a nonbeliever. And what if they did fall in love, how would a marriage with him work for real? How would they raise their children? The only thing they could ever agree on was that they both needed that money. That was just not enough for Mercedes. She needed more. And she just couldn't see Sam as being the one for her.

"Sam...can we just keep this a professional relationship?" she asked him instead. Sam slowly released her hand and nodded instead before turning over. Mercedes stared at his back for a few minutes before doing the same.

Back in her hotel room, Rachel watched the entire thing with a smile on her face. She had to admit they were the cutest thing. She was shocked to see that Sam was the one falling for Mercedes. She really thought that Mercedes would have been the one to fall for him but it was all going to be good for TV. America was going to either be Team Mercedes or hate her for friendzoning and leading on one of the hottest guys to ever hit their TV screen. Either way, people were going to keep tuning in to see if Sam would either wake up and break things off or win Mercedes heart. Rachel didn't care as long as they didn't last long enough to win any money.

* * *

The next morning, Sam and Mercedes looked as if they had fought the night before. Mercedes tried to pretend as if they were a loving couple for the cameras but Sam was just not playing along. She wanted to tell him to snap out of it but she knew that she'd rejected him twice. Luckily, for the both of them neither of the rejections would air on TV. Blaine Anderson was his cheerful self as he narrated what they had planned for that episode. He tried to get a smile out of Sam but Sam remained unmoved the entire ride towards where his sister was being kept. Once they turned into the center, he finally smiled. Seeing him smile made her smile as well. It was sweet seeing how much he loved his sister.

They walked into the room where Stacy was and Sam immediately reached for her hand. Mercedes stepped into the room slowly as she took in how much Stacy looked like Sam. She looked like _Sleeping Beauty_ as she lay with so many things hooked onto her. Sam was already talking to Stacy as if she were alert to what was going on around her. He explained why there were so many cameras in the room then turned back and looked at Mercedes then smiled. He extended his hand towards her and pulled her closer to Stacy.

"Stacy, I met someone special while you were sleeping." Sam said as Mercedes nervously smiled. "Mercedes, meet my baby sis, Stacy." he smiled as Mercedes waved before feeling silly that she did it. "Stacy, meet my wife, Mercedes."

"Hi Stacy, I've heard so many great things about you." Mercedes said as she inched closer to her and held her other hand. Sam looked on with a proud smile on his face. He was really happy that he was able to bring someone to see Stacy. Other than Artie, no one else came to see her. Not even her friends that she had before she fell into her coma. Sam understood that her friends were young but he thought at least one of them would have continued to come by. He pushed away his feelings about the conversation they had last night and just enjoyed watching Mercedes talk to Stacy the way he'd always talked to her. "Sam told me that you enjoyed church a lot. When you wake up, I would like for you to come with me." she looked over at Sam for reassurance then smiled widely when he slowly nodded. "And, if it's okay with Sam, I'd like to sing you one of my favorite songs."

"Um...yeah...shoot." Sam said as he walked around to the other side of Stacy's bed. He wanted to get a good view of her singing. He watched as Mercedes smiled and moved a bit closer before clearing her throat. The cameramen moved around the room to ensure that they got a good view of her as well but her focus was on Sam and Stacy.

"Many nights we prayed...with no proof anyone could hear...in our hearts a hope for a song...we barely understood..." she smiled at Sam and gave him a soft nod as she continued. "Now we are not afraid...although we know there's much to fear...we were moving mountains long before we knew we could." Sam was in awe of her as she sang as he knew all of America would be when they got the chance to hear her sing. She looked down at Stacy as if she had known her all her life and continued to sing as if her voice was what Stacy was waiting for to wake up.

"There can be miracles...when you believe...though hope is frail...it's hard to kill...who knows what miracles, you can achieve...when you believe, somehow you...you will when you believe." she kept her eyes on Sam as she sang. She wanted to let him know if there was nothing wrong with having hope in something bigger than what they could see. She continued to sing as she made her way towards Sam. She took his hands into hers as she sang the next few lines hoping to help ignite the faith he had before. "They don't always happen when you ask, and its easy to give in to your fears. But when you're blinded by your pain, can't see the way, get through the rain...a small but still, resilient voice...says hope is very near. There can be miracles, when you believe...though hope is frail, it's hard to kill." Sam hated that he was almost moved to tears as she sang. Luckily for him, she let go of his hand and turned her focus back to Stacy as she finished the song. Once she was done, applaud erupted within the center as a couple of the nurses and caregivers had stopped to listen in as Mercedes sang.

"That was...Stacy would've loved that, Mercedes." Sam said as Mercedes walked over to him and hugged him. She wanted to pray for Stacy but she knew that was probably pushing it. A song was better fitted for the moment and she was happy she was able to do it for him. He looked genuinely appreciative. She wasn't sure how he'd take a religious song so she opted for the pop version of Whitney and Mariah duet. She wished it were done in private but she knew Rachel would have had a cow if she'd asked for more private time. So she just sucked it up and sang the song and just kept her focus on Sam and Stacy.

They spent a few hours with Stacy before they jumped on a plane ride to Lima where they were to meet Mercedes' mother for dinner. Meeting Stacy was nerve wracking but having Sam meet her mother had Mercedes feeling as if she needed to run. Sam sat next to her on the plane but his gaze remained outside the window. She wondered what he was thinking and wanted to ask but instead she tapped her fingers on the table that was in front of them. What if her mother couldn't find it in her to forgive her? What if her mother told her to get out of the show? How would she do that to Sam after meeting Stacy? She didn't even notice her tapping had gotten louder till she felt Sam's hand cover hers.

"It'll be fine, Mercedes." Sam said as he looked over at her then smiled before adding. "If things get bad just blame me for everything. I can take it." Mercedes sighed then smiled before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sam."

* * *

Sam was getting more nervous the closer he got to her mother's house. He really wished he wasn't developing feelings for Mercedes, because this would have gone a bit easier for him. If he didn't care how Mercedes felt, then he would have been able to blow through this with no care at all. The entire flight he tried to think of ways to stop feelings he was starting to have for her but all he kept hearing was her voice. And when he closed his eyes all he saw was her singing to Stacy as if she was her sister. How was he supposed to not fall for her after that? And now he had to impress her mother while trying to push back how he was suddenly starting to feel. He couldn't think of anything else to do but allow it to just happen then hopefully, Mercedes would fall for him too.

"We're here." Mercedes said in a soft tone as if she were saying it more so to herself than anyone else. And when the doors were opened, Sam stepped out then extended his hand towards her. She stared at it before finally taking Sam's hand and stepping out. They walked slowly towards the door as the cameramen followed them to it. She looked over at Sam and ran her hands down his shirt before fixing his collar as she gave him a once over. "She'll love you, Sam." Mercedes said as if she were trying to convince him. She was about to tell him that he looked great when the door opened and her mother stood in the doorway with a frown on her face. Her mother looked beautiful as she was dressed in what most would deem her Sunday's best. Her yellow dress looked lovely against her brown skin and if Sam was being honest, he was shocked at how young she looked. "Hey mama!"

"Don't hey mama me!" her mother said as she glared at the two of them at the doorway. "Get inside before y'all run up my A/C." she added as she turned away. Mercedes and Sam walked in with the cameramen right behind them as her mother continued to fuss. "Got all of America all up and through my house and you standing out there with your lil white boyfriend..."

"Mama, Sam's my husband..."Mercedes began to say but stopped as her mother turned and glared at her.

"Your husband?" she asked as she walked back over to them. "Was at this wedding?" her mother asked her then looked over at Sam.

"Mrs. Jones, this is truly an honor to meet you." Sam said as he extended his hand towards her. She looked at Sam's hand as if it were infested before glaring at Mercedes. She suddenly turned her face back to Sam with a bright smile spread across it.

"Dinner will be ready in two minutes." she left Sam's hand extended before disappearing to the kitchen. Mercedes felt her heart pumping in her chest as she looked over at a dumbfounded Sam.

"Give me a minute, okay? She's not mad at you..."

"YOU DAMN RIGHT I'M MAD AT YOU!" her mother shouted from the kitchen.

"How did she hear you?" Sam asked in shock as he looked at Mercedes. She held a finger up his telling him to give her a minute as she did damage control. She knew she deserved America to see her mother mad at her this way. She should have called her mother. Out of everyone, she knew her mother was one of the peoples she should have told. But she knew her mother would have never approved.

"Mama..."

"Don't you mama me!" her mother said without looking her way as she slammed the fridge door close. "You're my only daughter and I had to hear from the facebook that you gone and married some white boy that I never met."

"Mama, are you mad that he's white, really?"

"Hell no! When have I ever been racist?" she asked as she finally looked Mercedes' way. "What did I do to make you think you had to do it this way? Were you ashamed of me?"

"No mama."

"Now you got them cameras all on me and America just seeing me act a fool. That's what you wanted? To make a fool out of me?"

"I wanted to tell you, ma...but I signed a contract..."

"A contract? Child, did that contract give birth to you?" she asked as Mercedes fell quiet. She knew there was nothing she could say to excuse what she did. "That contract held you nine months? That contract better have the same C-section scars I got with the stretch marks." her mother continued as she grabbed a couple items then pointed to a pitcher of lemonade that she made. "Grab that lemonade, child." she continued to mumble as she walked out to the dining room where Sam was already seated. He quickly stood when she came out and spread a nervous smile on his face. "Sit down, child." she demanded as Sam slowly sat. Mercedes slowly walked over to Sam and sat near him. Sam reached under the table and held her hand then smiled at her. "Bow your heads while I pray for dinner." she demanded. Mercedes prayed that Sam just closed his eyes even if he didn't believe. She peeked and smiled when she saw his eyes were closed shut as her mother blessed the food. The minute she was done, Mercedes jumped at the opportunity.

"Mama, I'm sorry that you found out on Facebook. I promise it was not my intention to let you see it that way." Mercedes explained as her mother looked over at them expressionless.

"Mercedes asked to call you every day but we really couldn't."

"How did your mother take it? I'm assuming she couldn't be there either, right?" she asked as Sam took a deep breath and nodded before responding.

"My mother, if she were alive, would have felt the same way you felt and we are really sorry we didn't get to tell you. It really killed Mercedes that you were not there to witness the wedding. She hasn't stopped talking about you." Sam explained as her mother looked on. She looked between the two of them for a minute then sighed before reaching for one of the trays on the table.

"Ma, Sam's a really great good guy. Don't let all this go down this way, please." Mercedes begged. Her mother continued to place food on her plate before passing the food to Sam.

"Sam..." she paused and looked up at him as he took the tray from her. "...that's your name, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You seem like a good guy as Mercedes says. And I'm surely sorry to hear about your mother. Having a mother is supposed to be a cherished thing." she looked over at Mercedes then back at Sam and smiled. "And I ain't blind, you're handsome, if I look past that mop on your head."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Sam asked as Mercedes squeezed his hand slightly to shut him up.

"I have no doubt that you care for her...I can see it in your eyes." she added before continuing. "I don't dislike you. I just don't know you. Do you get me, sugar?"

"Yes." Sam responded as Mercedes loosened her grip on his hand. He looked over at her as her mother continued and felt Mercedes slipping further away.

"Look at this food on the table." she smiled as they gazed at the array of food that she prepared that was enough for a thanksgiving feast. It smelled and tasted just as good as it looked and Sam could tell she was proud. "You can't tell me I didn't present you with a lovely meal." she smiled as she took a sip of her lemonade. "Presentation matters. You could have been a rocket scientist and I still would have reacted the same way. You deserve better, sugar." she finished as Mercedes completed removed her hand completely from his. Sam knew he had to defuse the situation somehow. He tried to think of what to say and before he knew what he was doing words were coming out of his mouth.

"It's in the presentation, that's the way she brought you here. On a garbage can lid." Sam said as he did an impression of Cosby. Mercedes and her mother both looked at him as he tried to explain what he was doing. "That was my impression of Cosby, on that episode where Vanessa brought home that guy to meet her parents." Sam looked between the two of them and continued. "I grew up watching The Cosby Show and he has one of the most impressionable voices." he continued then stopped when a smile spread across Mercedes' mother's face. Then she started to laugh, which caused Sam to laugh nervously as Mercedes began to finally laugh.

"You're really good at that." her mother said finally. "You know that is one of my all time favorite Cosby episodes."her mother added. Sam felt relieved that she actually liked it so he decided to throw in more impressions as her mother continued to laugh. Under the table, Mercedes slid her hand back into Sam's and he held hers before smiling over at her. The rest of the dinner went smoothly, and Sam was able to see the type of woman that Mercedes had bragged about. Her mother was a lot nicer once she got over everything. She excused herself then left Sam and Mercedes at the table for a brief moment.

"Thank you for saving dinner, Sam. I haven't seen my mother this mad since...I told her I lost my virginity early." Mercedes added as Sam made a mental note to ask more about that at an appropriate time.

"I told you that I was okay taking the heat for you."

"Thank you...I'm so happy I married you." she added with a chuckle as she hugged him. He held her tight and took in her aroma just as her mother came back out.

"Look at you too. I bet I'll be getting grand-babies soon, huh?" she smiled as Mercedes slid slowly away from Sam. "Just don't be doing none of that twerking on the TV now. God should be the only one watching that." she said before easing back into the kitchen. Mercedes laughed it off but Sam couldn't help but wonder if they would ever get that far with this type of relationship. He couldn't even get her to see him as a potential boyfriend or husband. How was he going to get her to see him as a father figure? He needed to show her his manly side. Show her that he took somethings seriously and that there was nothing wrong with falling in love with him. Only problem was, he had no idea how or what to do. The entire flight back he tried to think of what to do. And almost as if she could read his thoughts Rachel approached Sam the minute they arrived at the house.

"Sam, you had a great day today. Why are you looking glum?" Rachel asked as Sam leaned back on the couch. He'd wanted to spend sometime on the couch with Mercedes again but the minute they got in she showered and went to sleep upstairs.

"Just trying to figure somethings out." he responded. He never really knew when to trust her but if he was honest everything she'd ever done had pushed them closer. He wondered if it would help to open up to her.

"About what exactly? Mercedes?" she asked with a smile on her face as she sat next to him. Sam looked at her for a second then decided to just go ahead and confide in her.

"Do you think...that Mercedes might...you know..."

"What?"

"Do you think she's falling for me?"

"Are you falling for her?" Rachel asked instead. "I believe that my studies show that people eventually fall in love despite their differences because of convenience. If she's showing any emotions or not it could be because she isn't sure if that is what is happening here."

"Hmmm." Sam wondered if that was what was happening to him. Then he heard her voice again and a smile spread across his face. "I need to prove to Mercedes that I can be the man of her dreams."

"Really, maybe I can help. I know her type and if we gave you a slight makeover and get you a job, she'd take you seriously definitely." Rachel smiled as an idea came to mind. "I will make some calls and set you up for a makeover then send the both of you out for interviews. Once she sees you with a job and new look, she'll be all over you." Sam thought about it and knew that a makeover meant cutting his hair then he heard her voice again and it was a no brainer. Sam Evans was getting a hair cut.

"Thanks, Rache!

"No problem, Sam!" Rachel smiled as she made her way to the door. What she had planned was going to make things definitely interesting TV. She couldn't wait for the show to air the next night. Ratings were going to go through the roof with what she had so far and she had so much more plan for her dear Samcedes couple.


	9. Episode 7- Different

**Hey there I am back. I am sorry that it took me so long to update. I wrote something and thought I saved it but never did. So I had to rewrite this. Thanks for coming back. Here's the next chapter...Hope you like it :)**

* * *

Mercedes sat on the bed and scrolled through all of her Facebook notifications. There were thousands of messages from people she barely interacted with. She was happy that her page was private because she knew that if she hadn't her page would have been flooded with this entire ordeal, she never once took into the fact that once the show aired people would begin to troll in. Promos for the show had begun so many of those that commented hit up her inbox asking for more details. She ignored most of the messages but stopped when a new message popped up.

"Hey beautiful, you all Hollywood now and dropped me as your best friend." Mercedes stared at the message for a minute then felt her heart skip a beat when it showed he was still typing. She had to admit that she hadn't hit him up and she knew she needed to leave him alone. He had a girlfriend and Mercedes wasn't over him. "I've been thinking about you lately. You think we can have coffee and catch up..." Mercedes was still staring at the message and debating on what to respond or if she should even do it all. She could hear Sam's voice downstairs, she wasn't sure what he was saying but he sounded very excited about it. After the day they had, she was starting to see Sam in a new light. She was married to Sam now and coffee with Anthony would only jeopardize things. "It's just coffee."

"He's right...it's just coffee." Mercedes said to herself as she prepared to respond to the message. Almost as if God himself wanted to stop her from doing something that she'd regret, the phone rang. She slid her finger across the phone and spread a smile on her face as she waited to greet her best friend, Tesla.

"What up..."

"Gurrrrrrl, I got some tea for you." Tesla said immediately interrupting her. "I know you been hammed in that sham of a marriage to that hippy green eyed devil worshipper..."

"Tessssss! He never said he worshiped the devil"

"Whatever...lemme give you this tea girl." she quickly added as Mercedes fell quiet to allow her friend to talk. "Can you go to the bathroom? I know how these reality shows work. You gotta go somewhere away from those cameramen." Mercedes thought about that statement and immediately heard Rachel's voice downstairs.

"You know what...you're right." Mercedes said as she quickly made her way to the bathroom and turned on the water. Although she already took a shower before jumping into bed, she needed the sound of the water to buffer the tea Tesla was about to pour. "Alright girl, pour."

"Okay...so I was on my way to see Matt at work and guess who I bumped into?" she asked. Although I knew who she was about to say I pretended as if I didn't and allowed her to continue. "Anthony girl...and guess what...the bitch is gone." she added with excitement.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Mercedes asked as she slowly sat down at the edge of the bathtub. Anthony was single and sending her messages on Facebook. How convenient.

"So that's why he's all up in my grill now?"

"Wait, hold up...what do you mean? Spill the tea bitch!" she screeched with excitement.

"Anthony asked me out for coffee." Mercedes replied.

"You said yes, right?"

"Uh…no! What I look like sitting down to coffee with my ex while married to Sam and all those damn cameras in my face?"

"Girl, you ain't really married." Tesla replied with a hint of annoyance in her tone. "Does your contract say anything about you all being exclusive?"

"I mean, it's implied, Tess." Mercedes responded, shaking her head as if Tesla could see her. "What marriage you know allows something like that?"

"An open one!" she quickly responded. "Girl, look everybody's talking about this show. It's going to be a hit and you're going to win a million dollars when it's through. So I get you trying to make things work with buddy but, you can't stay married to him. In a year, this sham will be through. Wouldn't you like to have Anthony waiting for you on the other side?" she asked causing Mercedes to really think about it. Was it really possible for her to make things work with Sam, for more than just money? She thought about how nice dinner went with her mother. How comfortable Sam had been once her mother calmed down. She was seeing Sam in a new light, despite their differences. She didn't want to wreck everything before at least giving them a chance.

"Look, I know that this is all different to you but I am the one going through this and I plan to see it through. No one knows what might happen between Sam and I. For all you know, we might actually work this out." Mercedes said more to herself than to her best friend. "I don't want to jeopardize what I have right now for what might be in the future."

"Okay girl, I support you." Tesla finally said after a moment of silence went by between the pair. "I didn't mean anything bad by it all. I just want to make sure you're okay when all of this is over. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know girl. Thanks!" Mercedes said before they hung up. She reached over to turn off the water and make her way back to her bed. Although she understood what Tesla was saying she had to remind herself that going in on this journey, she wanted to find love. Sure, she needed the money but how bad would it really be if she also allowed herself to fall in love with Sam. Just as the thought came to her, he walked into the bedroom. He looked as if he just got out of the shower. His hair was still a bit damp and he was shirtless. She had grown to learn that he never slept with his shirt on. They both paused and stared at each other for a minute before sharing a brief smile.

"I thought you were asleep already?" Sam asked as he made his way over to the bed.

"I had way too many Facebook messages for that." She smiled as she walked over to the dresser and pulled out her head wrap to wrap her hair. He walked over and sat on the bed then stared at her as she wrapped her hair. She tried to pretend as if she couldn't see him staring but it was messing her up as she tried to do her wrap. "Sam…you okay?"

"Uh…yeah…just realizing that today marks our week-iversary."

"Our what now?" Mercedes asked as she finally finished her wrap. She looked over at him as if he were crazy before chuckling.

"Yeah, a week ago we met for the first time and you became my wife." Sam responded as he watched her walk over to her side of the bed.

"Well…if we're being technical we met at Rachel's office where you were snooping on my cellphone."

"I wasn't snooping. You left it behind."

"Yeah okay." She replied as she smiled at him before kneeling for prayer. Sam had gotten used to seeing her pray before bed every night. The first time she did it he couldn't believe she still knelt to pray. It was kind of adorable. He looked over at her as she prayed and smiled when she added Stacy and Sam to her prayer. Once she was done praying she looked at him and smiled as if she didn't just pray for him.

"Thanks."

"For?"

"For you know…praying for me and Stacy." He answered then made his way to his side of the bed and got in. Sam watched as she jumped in bed as well, not wasting time with putting the pillow wall between them as she had been doing for the past few days. Sam wanted to ask about it but decided to keep his mouth shut. Once Mercedes turned off the lights they both fell silent and stared at the ceiling. Sam wanted to ask her something before she fell asleep so he took the opportunity to ask before she closed her eyes. "Mercedes, are you awake?"

"Uh…yeah…" she responded looking his way. He turned over to look her way as the moonlight hit her face.

"I was wondering if maybe we could do something…just the two of us…"

"You mean like a date?"

"Yeah…like a date. We can go out to eat or do something fun."

"Sam, we're already married. You don't have to woo me." She replied laughing.

"Well, married people go on dates. And plus everything we've done so far has been Rachel's planning. I just want to go out after the camera crew is gone and paint the town red or something." Sam responded. Mercedes thought about what Sam was asking and knew she needed to give it a shot. And he was right that they had always done what Rachel wanted. It was time they did something different. "We can celebrate our week-iversary!" he added as if he just thought of something ingenious. Mercedes could see that he had put some thought into it and that it would be fun to chill without the cameras.

"We can go…" she started and stopped when Sam immediately widened his smile. "But…only if you agree to taking Stacy out of that center and bringing her here with us." She had thought about how Sam felt about having to have Stacy away while he did the show. She could tell he was genuinely happy when they went to visit her. He would be just as happy if she were there permanently.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked in shock. He never thought she'd want to deal with that. He wasn't even sure Rachel would allow it but if Mercedes wanted to bring it up he was definitely all for it.

"Yeah…I know you want to be there when she wakes up. I don't want to be the reason you're not near her."

"I do want her near." Sam confessed. "I'll bring it up to Rachel tomorrow. I have a lot planned for the day with her, so you won't see me much." Sam added proudly.

"Okay cool." She replied as she felt herself getting tired. Sam watched her slowly turn away then mumbled goodnight to him.

"Night, Mercedes." He mumbled back before turning to his side as well.

* * *

 _Sam was deep asleep when he felt a hand snake around his mid-section. He stiffened immediately, afraid that if any sudden movement was made she'd jump away. Then he felt her lips on his shoulders and knew that this was a bold invitation. He wondered what had gotten into her but was not about to ask as he quickly turned over and pulled her close. He wasted no time to claim her lips with his own as she ran her fingers through his hair. He pulled her over till she was on top of him then held the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss. He reluctantly let go of her when she pulled away from him and threw her head back causing him to realize it wasn't Mercedes kissing him at all._

 _"Quinn?" he gasped as she smiled down at him mischievously. He hadn't seen her since they were younger and he'd never gotten to see that much of her body when they were together. He wasn't sure what she was doing there and wondered where Mercedes went to begin with._

 _"Sam…aren't you happy to see me?" She asked as she ran her fingers through her hair. Sam wasn't sure how to answer but before he could utter a word, Mercedes came in. Sam immediately pushed Quinn off and looked at a shock Mercedes._

 _"Sam!"_

 _"This is not what it looks like!" Sam exclaimed._

 _"Don't lie, Sam! Sam! Sam!" Quinn continued to say._

"Sam…are you alright?" Mercedes asked shaking Sam awake. He'd been talking in his sleep repeating something she couldn't make out. She thought he'd eventually stop but it continued so she had to wake him. He finally woke up and looked at her, realizing that he'd been only dreaming. He felt a bit of relief and confusion. Why was he dreaming of Quinn when he hadn't seen her in years? "Sam, you okay?" she asked again.

"Uh…yeah…I am okay." He said looking her way.

"You were making weird noses."

"I guess I was having a nightmare."

"You too old for all that now, Sam." She chuckled before turning and falling right back to sleep. Sam sighed then slowly went back to sleep as well hoping he would have a different dream.

Sam woke up really early the next day and went for his morning run before meeting up with Rachel for his makeover. He was slowly wishing that he'd change his mind about cutting his hair. He'd been growing it for a long time now and he couldn't even remember what he looked like before he decided not to cut it. He was nervous about the whole thing but first he wanted to talk to Rachel. Once they were in the car he used that opportunity to let Rachel know about wanting Stacy at the house with them.

"Are you ready for changes today, Sam?" Rachel asked without even looking his way as she scrolled through her phone. "I've called in a favor with a friend of mine and he owes me a favor. He promised that if he can find a spot for you, he'll hire you." she finally looked up at Sam and smiled. "The show will be great promo for his business."

"Rache, that's great." he said as he nervously placed his hands in his back pocket. "So uh, Rache, I uh wanted to talk to you about something before we head off."

"Oh yeah, what's going on?" she asked as she placed her phone in her purse. "Let's talk in the car." she stated before jumping the car. Sam quickly hopped in the car then jumped right into getting Stacy over.

"So...Mercedes and I were talking last night..."

"Oh really?" She asked interrupting him as her brows hiked up with sudden interest. Sam smiled and immediately shook his head.

"It's not that, Rachel." Sam stated with a smile. It wouldn't be that bad of a thing but he knew Mercedes wouldn't have been up for it. He didn't even realize that he was smirking and thinking more about doing more than talking with Mercedes.

"You need some time alone, Sam?" Rachel asked snapping Sam out of his head.

"No...No...it's about Stacy."

"Oh okay, how is she?"

"I feel...well Mercedes and I..." he paused as a smile spread across her face. "...we want Stacy with us...at the house." he finished and watched for her reaction. Rachel looked at Sam and thought about how having his sister there would affect the show. If she honestly thought about it, having her there would help with the ratings to have people watch them raise a child in a coma.

"Maybe next week..."

"No...we want her here tomorrow night." Sam stated firmly. Rachel nodded then pulled out her phone before dialing a number while still looking at him.

"Will...this is Rachel, I would like to discuss something regarding the show." she said before smiling at Sam.

* * *

Sam was excited about the haircut and makeover he received. He was shocked that Rachel was able to make him look as professional as he was looking at the moment. Staring at his reflection in the elevator he couldn't help the smile that tugged his lips. His hair was cut short and he placed a pair of nonprescription glasses that he thought would make him look smart. He had a briefcase that had absolutely nothing inside but Rachel told him that her friend would love it.

"Uh...I'm here to see...Kurt Hummel." Sam said as he watched the security guard point towards a sign that said that Kurt's office was at the end of the hall. Sam smiled then slowly walked in that direction. Sam sat for a while waiting for Kurt to arrive and the longer it took the more nervous he got. Then suddenly the door swung opened and in walked a tall slender man with a purple long coat on and shades twice the size of his face.

"Rachel...Rachel, calm down, he's sitting right here waiting on me. As he should." Kurt said as he glided through the room. He pointed towards Sam and motioned for Sam to follow him into his office. Sam quickly stood up and grabbed the suitcase which caused Kurt to halt his step. "Hold on, Rachel. My eyes have fallen upon a Brunello Cucinelli Leather Portfolio Briefcase." Kurt quickly removed his shades then looked Sam up and down. "Where did you get that?" he asked as Sam stood proudly and smiled.

"Oh this old thing…" Sam said then wished he didn't when Kurt rolled his eyes and placed his shades back on.

"Come on, let's get this over with." Kurt muttered as he walked in his office then sat at his desk and watched as Sam walked in. Kurt glared at the cameramen that followed him in. He hated the cameras but Rachel said it would help them both so he agreed. Sam pretended to shuffle inside of the empty briefcase and pulled out his resume before handing it to Kurt. Sam knew that everything that was on there was bogus but he was prepared to learn to get the job. He needed to get the job.

"So when can I start working?" Sam said as he looked around the office. There were designs posted everywhere. Sam wasn't sure why Rachel thought that this job would work for him but he didn't care. He just wanted to work.

"What are your favorite magazines?" Kurt asked as he slid the resume back on the desk. Sam wasn't sure how to answer that question. He couldn't remember the last time he looked at one so he just named what he remembered seeing at the stores.

"Um...People Magazine and uh...Vague Magazine." Sam said with a smile, not realizing that he messed up the name of the Magazine. "When my sister was around she loved when I would pick those up for her. I would sneak to read them before giving it to her." Sam added.

"What happened to your sister?"

"Uh...I really just want to stick to the interview for the position." Sam quickly responded. Kurt nodded; he'd already told Rachel he'd entertain interviewing Sam. Rachel told him that he didn't even need to concern himself with Sam but seeing his eyes light up as he spoke about his sister tug at Kurt's heart. Sam rambled on about how much of a hard worker he was but Kurt wasn't listening. But he kept a smile on his face and when they were done, he shook Sam's hand and promised to call him with his decision.

* * *

Mercedes was just about to sit in front of the TV when Rachel came running into the house. It took everything out of her to not roll her eyes. This was their house and the bitch rolled in whenever the hell she pleased. Mercedes watched her talk to some of the cameramen before stomping her ass over to her.

"Mercedes, I have set you up for an interview with a good friend of mine. His name is Kurt Hummel..."

"Hold up...you're setting me up for a job interview with Kurt Hummel?" Mercedes asked as she stood up in shock. "He's one of the youngest editor to ever work for Vogue, he freelanced for People, Us Weekly..."she paused to catch her breath." He interned with RuPaul!"

"Okay, so you're excited about it. Great!" Rachel smiled. "I brought you a dress for the interview. He will love you in this." Mercedes walked over and grabbed the dress. She knew the dress had to have cost more than anything she had ever owned, but she didn't trust Rachel.

"Why are you doing this?"

"For the show silly." Rachel added. "It's part of my research. Real marriages have working couples. I think I might have gotten Sam a job and now it's time to show them that women work too." she smiled then made her way to the door. "Hurry up, the driver is outside waiting for you. Good luck!" she sang before slamming the door behind her.

Mercedes quickly dressed up and made her way out to the car. She couldn't believe she was about to meet Kurt Hummel. When she arrived at his office she sat patiently and waited trying to pretend she didn't see the cameramen. She was nervous about the interview and even more nervous about doing the interview on camera. She wondered if Sam was as nervous as she was on his interview. It was weird that she was kind of missing him and couldn't wait for their date to talk about their time apart.

"Mercedes." Kurt said as he motioned for her to come in his office. Mercedes smiled and tried to hold in her need to squeal and hug him then ask for an autograph. Instead she sat down and handed him her resume. Nothing on her resume was remotely anything that Kurt would find relevant to the position. She really just wanted to meet Kurt.

"Mr. Hummel..."

"Okay...lemme stop you there." Kurt said cutting her off. "Call me, Kurt. Hummel is my father Senator in..."

"Ohio! He lives in Lima, I know!" Mercedes said as a smile spread across her face. "I'm from Lima as well and I'm one of your biggest fans. You've worked at damn near every magazine that I've ever dreamed of starring in."

"You model?" Kurt asked as he suddenly became intrigued. He couldn't for the life of him understand how Rachel got this woman to marry the man he met with earlier. They were totally different people.

"America ain't ready for these curves." Mercedes responded causing a smile to spread on Kurt's face. "I'm a singer and I just want to grace one of these covers one day." and there was the glimmer in her eyes that matched the glimmer in Sam's wondered if that was why Rachel brought them together. He knew better though. Rachel only cared about herself.

"You know what...you just might grace all of them one day." Kurt responded with a smile. He could tell that Mercedes was going to be someone that he wanted to be around. He listened to her talk about her dreams and aspirations and suddenly saw what Rachel saw in the two of them. There was that glimmer in her eyes, the same glimmer he saw in Sam's eyes. Kurt was never into reality TV but he was suddenly interested in seeing the journey of these two strangers.

* * *

Later that evening, Rachel watched as Mercedes prepared for bed. Normally, she'd be up reading with Sam channel surfing before bed but tonight was different. She didn't wrap her hair and she was in bed with her robe on. Rachel could sense something was afoot. She sent the cameramen away but continued to watch Mercedes on the hidden cameras. She wanted to see her reaction to Sam's makeover. Even she had to admit that she did a great job.

Moments later, Sam arrived and made his way upstairs with a grin on his face. Rachel smiled with anticipation as she watched Mercedes slowly look at Sam as he arrived in the bedroom. She quickly put her phone away then walked over to Sam. Rachel wished she had audio on the cameras but they were hidden too far her to hear what she was saying.

"Sam…you cut your hair!"

"Yeah! I know the mop was getting on your nerves, so I had it cut."

"I was kinda getting used to it." Mercedes admitted as she tried to push some fly aways from his eyes. Sam's eyes glimmered as he tried to see if she liked his haircut or if she suddenly realized he looked better with long hair. "You look like Matt Damon and Brad Pitts love child." Mercedes finally said. She would be lying to herself if she didn't think he was downright sexy with his hair cut. And he looked good in his suit as well. This was how he should have looked on their wedding day. This look would have knocked the wind out of her as it was doing now.

"I don't know how that would be possible but that's a good thing, right?" Sam asked with a chuckle then made his way to the window and pulled it up. "Are you ready for tonight?" he asked as he held his hand out for her. She looked at him as if he had simply lost his mind. There was no way she was about to go out the window with him as if they were sixteen.

"Oh hell to the no, Sam! Are you insane?"

"Mercedes, just trust me, please." He begged. She was never afraid of heights but she wasn't stupid either. They could easily just walk out the backdoor, so she couldn't understand why Sam wanted to go out the window. "Seriously, just trust me."

"Alright Sam, if I fall down and break my talent…"

"You won't." Sam said as the smile on his face spread wider when she finally took his hand. Mercedes nervously stepped out the window, shocked to see that he had a ladder propped up for them to go down on. He went down first then held the ladder so that she could descend. She held the ladder as tightly as she could while holding her heels with the other hand. "You're almost there." He whispered as she took the last few steps down then slid down till he was holding her firmly from behind. She slowly turned around and held on to Sam's arms as they stared at each other for what felt like five minutes, but were mere seconds.

"Thanks, Sam." She mumbled before prying away from him. "So…uh…where are we going?" she asked as she averted her eyes away from. She took her robe off and hung it on the ladder, not realizing that Sam was staring at her. Mercedes decided to wear a bodycon black dress that hugged every part of her body. Sam hadn't seen her dress this way and immediately realized his plans for them to go to a park was out of question. She was dressed to kill.

"It's a surprise." Sam lied as he tried to think of an alternative to suit what she was wearing. "You look…lovely, by the way."

"Thank you, Sam." She replied then followed him down the beach. "Are we walking all the way there? 'Cause these heels ain't made for walking." She sang before chuckling.

"I parked the car down the street." He said with a smile as he looked over at her. "I figured Rachel would notice us leaving the house. I rented a car for this evening."

"So that's why you've been gone all day?" she asked as she tried to keep up with his long strides. Sam noticed that she was struggle and slowed his steps then reached out for her hand and held it. She stared at their hands for a second before allowing his to intertwine with her own.

"Yeah, I was planning for us to have a good time out to celebrate." He admitted. "We're almost there." Mercedes felt as if they were on their first date. She was nervous and feeling a bit different. This was different. It wasn't for the show. They were going on a date because Sam wanted to go on a date with her. No cameras. No plans from Rachel. Just Sam. And suddenly she wasn't cool and collected anymore.

They arrived to the car that Sam rented, which she had to admit was nice. It was obvious that he was trying to impress her. He rented an all-black C-Class Mercedes Benz, which Mercedes couldn't help but wonder if he did that all because of her name. As they drove to the location that Sam didn't want to tell her about, they didn't notice a car following them close behind. Mercedes was too nervous to notice the car and Sam was busy racking his brain for a perfect spot to take her. For a minute, they were driving aimlessly till Sam remembered the spot where his parents met for the first time. Growing up he'd heard so many tales about April's and they'd never actually went as a family. He quickly turned in and looked over at Mercedes as she looked at the spot then at him and smiled.

"Karaoke Sam?"

"Trust me, you'll love it. There's singing, dancing and a dining area." He said with a smile before parking then making his way over to open the door for her. "Trust me."

"You're sure asking me to trust you a lot." She giggled and took his hands as they both walked into the spot together. Mercedes had to admit the spot was nice and packed. She'd heard of April's before and heard through the grapevine that some artists are even discovered there. Sam held her hand as he spoke to the hostess and placed their names on the list to perform. "I don't know why I'm suddenly nervous." Mercedes confessed when they were finally seated. Sam smiled, leaned over and gave her hand a squeeze as she looked around the spot. "How'd you know about this place?"

"My parents met here a long time ago. My dad sang an original song on amateur night and my mom was his immediate groupie." Sam stated with a chuckle. "I've always wanted to come here."

"I'm sure they are both here with us." Mercedes added just as the waiter came over to take their order. They both quickly ordered some drinks then fell back into their conversation once the waiter was gone. "So what did you do today, Sam?"

"Uh…I had an interview today and I feel like it went well. I will probably here from them tomorrow. I don't want to talk too much about it and jinx it…but I just feel like I connected with the guy, you know?" Sam was beaming with pride as he watched her smile back at him. He knew she would be impressed with him getting the job or attempting to get one. His father always said there were two ways to a woman's heart, hunting or paying the bills. And he knew Mercedes was not going to be impressed with hunting.

"I get it, Sam. I had an interview today too and I feel like I might have gotten it." She smiled then looked at Sam. "Seems like Rachel may be good for a few things." Sam started to ask her more about her interview when the sound of someone preparing to sing started. Soon after their drinks arrived and they sat silently while listening to this poor girl butcher _Big Spender_ on the stage.

"Oh wow, she's horrible."

"Sam!" Mercedes exclaimed as she playfully hit his arm and stifled her giggles. Sam shrugged but laughed as well as they escorted the girl off the stage. Minutes later they announced Mercedes' name to come to the stage. "You better not laugh at me." She threatened before sashaying to the stage. At this point, Sam had heard Mercedes sing plenty of times, the day of their wedding, with Stacy and while she showered and plenty other times. Sam watched as she selected a song then smiled at the audience before introducing herself. A couple of the patrons whispered as if they knew her but couldn't place her but all fell silent when she opened her mouth.

"Used to be that…I believed in something…used to be that…I believed in love…" She looked directly into the audience and smiled softly as she continued to sing. "It's been a long time…Since I had that feeling, I could love someone…I could trust someone…" she closed her eyes and continued to sing with the soft smile still on her lips. "I said I never let anybody near my heart again, darling. I said I never let nobody in…" She took what seemed was a quick inhale as she released into the chorus. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Sam at this point and sang. "But, if you asked me to…I just might change my mind, and let you in my life forever. If you asked me to, I just might give my heart and stay here in your arms forever. If, you asked me…"

"Somehow ever since I been around you…can't go back to being on my own…can't help feeling, darling…" she diverted her eyes to the crowd as she noticed she had everyone's attention now. "Since I found you…that I found my home…that I'm finally home…" She unhooked the mic from the stand and began to walk across the small stage. "I said I never let nobody…get to close to me, darling! I said I needed…needed to be free…but if you asked me to…" she continued to sing the chorus, wishing her mother was able to hear her sing this song. It was definitely one of her favorite to sing around the house Saturday mornings. But this time was different. Everything about tonight was different. "Ask me to and I will give my world…to you baby…I need you now…Ask me to and I'll do anything…for you baby…for you baby…" when she hit the last high now the room erupted with applause. Sam knew she was just singing the song because it was probably a song that she liked but he kind of hoped it meant more. He watched her make way from the stage shyly beaming with pride till she was standing in front of Sam. She pulled him in for a hug before thanking him. "Oh my God, Sam, that was amazing! That was so much fun!" she said as she stared into his eyes. She almost kissed him right then but caught herself before she could and pulled away instead.

"You killed it!" Sam said just as they said his name to come to the stage. "I don't know how I can follow an act like that." He laughed as she turned around in shock that he was going to sing. Mercedes had never heard Sam sing and prayed that he didn't sound like the girl before her. "I don't know if I will sound anything like that, ya'll! But I'll try my best." He laughed before picking his song. He called over the host and whispered something to her then smiled when she nodded disappeared for a minute then returned with a guitar in hand. Mercedes slowly sat in her seat waiting to see what Sam had in store for her. He searched the crowd then saw Mercedes and smiled her way. "Hope you all like this." He said as he began to strum the guitar.

"Said all I want from you, is to see you tomorrow…and every tomorrow, maybe you'll let me borrow, your heart." He continued to strum and sing while everyone smiled and listened to him. "And is it too much to ask for every Sunday? And while we're at it throw in every other day to start."

"I know people make promises all the time…then they turn right around and break them, when someone cuts your heart open with a knife and you're bleeding…but I could be that guy to heal it over time, and I won't stop until you believe it…'cause baby you're worth it." He looked at Mercedes as he continued to sing. "So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me, 'cause you might fuck around and find your dreams come true with me. Spend all your time and your money just to find out that my love was free, so don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me." He continued to sing the chorus and strum his guitar as Mercedes tried to decipher if he was trying to tell her that she should fall in love with him. Although Mercedes was willing to see where things would head with him, she wasn't too sure she was ready to fall in love quite yet. She wanted to see where they could go if she gave Sam a chance and it seemed he wanted to go the distance with her. And from what he was saying she had to ask herself, would it really be that bad if she allowed herself to just completely fall for him.

* * *

They stayed pretty late at April's before finally deciding to head back. They slowly walked down the beach to the house then trekked back up the ladder. Mercedes had to admit that she had a good time. She wasn't sure if it was because Rachel had nothing to do with it, if there were no cameras or because Sam was the reason. Either way, she was all smiles when they made it to the room. They lingered in front of each other like two teens that just returned home from their first date before any of them said a word.

"I had a good time, Sam." She said finally pulling him in for a hug. Sam held on to her a bit longer as he said he'd enjoyed his time out with her as well. Their faces lingered next to each other as Sam tried to find the courage to just kiss her. They'd kissed before but tonight would be different. And almost as if she knew what he was trying to do she pulled away. Mercedes pulled away then made her way to the bathroom because that was the third time that night that she'd wanted to kiss him. Sam watched her walk away then heard the sound of the water running. He was never the type to let a woman he liked get to him but Mercedes wasn't like all the other women he'd dated. He paced back and forth for a second wondering what his next move should be.

On the other side of the door, Mercedes stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She hated that she couldn't just go with the flow like most people. She wanted to kiss Sam; she'd done it before and she was married to him dammit. Why was she struggling with this? She was debating on going back out there and just jumping on him. And just as she was about to walk out of the bathroom, Sam came barging in. Mercedes didn't have time to react as Sam strolled over to her and pulled her to him. He kissed her as if he was afraid of what she'd do if he let go of her.

"Sorry." As he let her go then began to step away from her. Before she could think twice, she pulled him back to her, reclaiming his lips on hers.

Sam was shocked that she was responding this way but he wasn't stopping it as he kicked the door closed behind him. He matched her passion by pushing her slightly towards the sink then hiking her on top of it. They bumped into the door then the wall, shutting off the light as they continued to fumble through the room. Their lips never parted as she pulled his shirt up then tried to unbutton the buttons. Mercedes ran her hands to his back pulling him closer as he tried to remove his shirt as well. Becoming frustrated with the shirt, Sam pulled the shirt from over his head then made his way back to her lips again. This kiss was different. Everything was different. Mercedes was different and she wanted to feel different with Sam.

Sam wanted to unzip her dress but he couldn't do it while kissing her so he made his way to her neck and sucked softly till she let out a soft moan. He could feel her hands fumbling with his belt buckle as he struggled with her zipper. Finally they both just pushed away from each other and handled their clothing. They couldn't see other outside of the moonlit silhouette but the hunger they both had was felt. Minutes later, Sam was back to her as his pants slowly fell to the ground. Mercedes couldn't unzip her dress but her dress was hiked up around her waist. She wasn't thinking as she pushed his boxers down and took a nice grip of her thighs. Sam wasn't thinking either as he pulled her panties to the side and slid inside of her. It had been a while since Mercedes had sex, and she was tighter than a nun as he tried to thrust inside of her. Neither of them planned for this to have gone this far but there they were. Bumping and grinding for what felt like hours but was actually mere minutes. Once it was over they remained apart for a few seconds in the dark before any of them said a word. The lights remained off. The shower was still running. Their minds were both racing, but Mercedes was the first to move. She removed her dress finally and jumped in the shower as Sam slowly grabbed his pants then made his way to the door. He stopped at the door ready to apologize as he flicked the light back on. He went to shower in the other bathroom and when he returned she was already in bed.

"Mercedes…can we talk about what just happened?" Sam asked as he got in the bed. Mercedes kept her back to him and pretended to be asleep. "Mercedes…"

"Sam…I just want to sleep now…okay." She responded finally. Sam stared at her back for a minute before deciding to leave it alone. He wanted tonight to be different and now things were different.


	10. Episode 8- Let's go with Plan B

**Hi everyone, I want to apologize for my delayed posting. I have been in pain with 2 wisdom teeth that are killing me. No excuses though. Lamimi, Happy Belated Birthday! Here's the next episode. I hope you all enjoy it. Let's see what happens next.**

 **Trigger warning: As you may notice, this fic deals with real issues that ppl in relationship deal with in a lighthearted way. Abortion is softly touched here and will be brought up later. To be honest, this is a lightly trigger filled rom-com so just remember that as the couples tackle on what most people tackle in a year or a relationship. So read on if you like. Let me know what you think. Oh and yeah sorry about their first time being in the bathroom, it sure woke y'all up lol. I didn't want it to be on camera. Anywho...enjoy...or not.**

* * *

The next morning, Mercedes woke up to Sam sound asleep next to her. Usually he was up before her but she couldn't sleep long enough that night. She looked at him and couldn't help the smile that spread on her face. She had to admit his new cut made him look more mature and sexier. She then remembered what happened in the bathroom the night before and how they jumped each others bones after their night out. She wondered if it all happened because they had a few drinks or were high off the fun of the night, or if his new haircut was the cause of it. Either way, she was embarrassed by her actions and needed her best friend. She quickly jumped out of bed and grabbed her phone before running into the bathroom to call Tesla. She turned the shower on then dialed up her bestie.

"Mercedes, what are you doing up at this hour?" Tesla said sounding as if she was still in bed herself. "Are you getting dolled up for the premiere tonight?"

"No...what premiere?" Mercedes asked then waved it off. "Forget that, I have a real emergency and I need my bestie here."

"What happened?" Tesla asked sounding as if she immediately woke up. "You know what don't say another word. I will be there within the hour." she said before hanging up the phone. Mercedes smiled knowing that her best friend always came through for her when she needed her. She jumped in the shower and by the time she was out of the shower and dressed she heard her phone ringing. "I'm outside the door."

"Okay, be down in a second." Mercedes responded before making her way past a sleeping Sam, then sighing before closing the door to the bedroom and heading downstairs. She took a deep breath and opened the door then fell into a deep laughter when her eyes fell upon her best friend. "Tesla, seriously, what the hell?"

"What?" Tesla asked as she struggled with a bag full of items in one hand and a shovel in her other hand.

"A shovel, really girl?"

"Hey, you ain't tell me what type of emergency."Tesla said before leaning the shovel on the wall. "I ain't know if it was a shovel type emergency, where we'd have to bury that poor white boy. I also brought pads, tampons, waxing products, emergency weave tracks, a box of Plan B and condoms and a pregnancy test." Mercedes looked at her in shock and shook her head at her friend. "What? Don't act like you don't have an emergency kit waiting for me if I need you." Mercedes thought about her emergency bag that she had for if Tesla went into labor while with her then smiled and moved aside for Tesla to come in.

"Tesla, get your pregnant ass in here with your crazy self!" Mercedes said as she shook her head and grabbed the bag from her. They both walked out to the bathrooms on the first floor and closed the door.

"So, give me the tea..." She said before walking over to the toilet and pulling down her panties. "...while I pee. This baby needs to come out of me, girl." Mercedes shook her head as her best friend urinated. She wasn't sure where to start so she just waited till she was done before just blurting it out.

"Sam and I had sex!"

"Say what now?" Tesla asked as she looked over in shock.

"Sam took me out last night for our week-iversary..." she stopped just as Tesla looked stale in the face. "I know...lame but it was actually sweet and we had fun."

"So you decided to give him some of your nook and crannies? Girl what is wrong with you these days? First you marry this hippy for a million dollars and a TV show, and trust me, I won't just that no more. 'Cause I discussed this with Matt and he explained that I needed to support you but now...you're adding sex to it?"

"I know...this is not like me. We just got caught up in the moment. It's not like we have feelings for each other." Mercedes responded. She knew things were different now with Sam. She was seeing him in a different light. She knew more about him and why he was the way he was. She saw his pain and last night she saw that he was feeling her more than she was willing to let on.

"If you say so." Tesla responded before wiping herself then flushing and washing her hands before looking at Mercedes in the mirror. "So what happened after you both bumped uglies for the cameras?"

"Oh it wasn't for the cameras...we did it in the bathroom." Mercedes responded as Tesla quickly stepped away from the sink.

"Ewww, y'all nasty." she said with a wide smile on her face. "Okay...so spill the rest of tea." Mercedes explained what happened that night as Tesla listened with a smile on her face. "So after the rump fest, you ignored him for the rest of the night huh?"

"I needed time to think."

"You needed time to do what you always do. Overthink and ruin things." Tesla said. "You did this with Anthony, remember?"

"That's not the same."

"Yes it is." Tesla responded. "Anthony took you out on a date, you had a nice night out with him then you let him claw open your little clam and bust it wide open."

"Can we not..."

"And then what did you do? You ignored his calls for days then he showed up at your door and made you talk to him. And you immediately jumped into the relationship with him."

"We had a great relationship. And we're kinda great friends now."

"You two broke up for no damn reason."

"Actually we broke up because I thought I was pregnant and Anthony told me that he didn't want to have a baby. He didn't really say it but he implied that I needed to have an abortion." Mercedes thought back to that night and how she'd cried for hours that night. "I ended up not even being pregnant but I let him believe that I had an abortion and that tore us apart."

"Girl, I didn't know...why didn't you tell me?" Tesla asked as she embraced Mercedes. At the time, Mercedes didn't tell anyone. She was embarrassed, mostly because she feared what they would think. She should've known that Tesla would still have her back.

"It doesn't matter now...but you're right. I keep doing the same thing over and over and wondering why I keep ending up single."

"Well you're married to Sam now, and even though I don't like his hippy like hair and that he doesn't like Jesus, but he seems caring." Tesla sighed then reached for the bag she brought and handed it to Mercedes. "I think you have a chance to do things differently with Sam. Give the boy a shot."

"Well, if I do, I can't pregnant right now. We jumped into this marriage, I want to do at least one thing right." Mercedes reached into the bag and took the Plan B out and stared at it for a minute then sighed. "Would I be wrong for taking this? What's the difference between what Anthony did and me taking these?"

"Many years of debate that you can mull over later. Now come on let's go sit by the deck and look at people on the beach." They sat on the porch and talked about her baby shower that was due soon just as Sam jogged by at the far end of the beach. "Ooh, hubby got a haircut? Please don't mess this up like you did with Anthony. Take that Plan B and hold on to that hottie for as long as you can girl."

* * *

Sam woke up, hoping that he would see Mercedes sleeping as he's had grown accustomed to. He wasn't shock that she wasn't in the bed next to him but he was shocked when he heard her in one of the bathrooms downstairs. She was up that early and her best friend was over. Tesla already showed signs that she didn't like Sam and now he just knew Mercedes was telling her about last night. Sam decided to go out for his morning run and to clear his head.

Later that day, his sister was going to be under the same roof with him again. As he ran he allowed his worries of ruining things with Mercedes to fly away with the wind. He needed some good news and having Stacy in the house was exactly what he needed. As he was making his second round he noticed Mercedes and Tesla out on the porch talking and his mind swiftly wen back to last night. He screwed things up. Sure they were married but it was too soon for them to have sex unprotected as they did. What if she became pregnant?

"Fuck!" Sam sweared as he continued to jog. Sam never thought of himself as a father but he was opened to it. They were already doing this backwards with their relationship, so why stop now. He needed to let her know that he would stand by her side. That he would be a great father, if she needed him to be. And when Stacy arrives she would see just how good he is with her. He was feeling a bit more positive after his jog as he returned and was shocked when he was going back in to see Tesla leaving.

"Oh hey Sam." Tesla said with a genuine smile as she waved and passed by him. "Can't wait to see you on the premiere...oh and nice haircut." she added before sauntering off to her car.

"Uh...thanks Tesla." Sam responded in shock as he made his way in noticing Rachel and Mercedes talking on the porch so he decided to join them. "Uh...what's this I hear about a premiere?"

"Uh..." Mercedes said as she shifted when Sam walked over and stood near her. "Rachel was just telling me that we have to appear to this premiere screening in a few hours." Sam could see that she felt uncomfortable with his standing near her so he stepped aside.

"Mercedes is right." Rachel said she looked between the two. She never intended to have the premiere to have Sam and Mercedes in front of a live audience but after hearing the night they had, Rachel just knew it was going to be good for ratings. "I am sorry I am springing this at last minute but the promos weren't really reaching our targeted audience so I was told this was necessary."

"So we have to sit in front of a bunch of people and watch us do the things we've already done?"

"Sam, the premiere will just show the wedding and honeymoon. We just want the audience to see that you two are real. And falling for each other..."

"Whoa wait...who said we were falling for each other?" Mercedes asked as she avoided eye contact with Sam. "We're just doing what we're supposed to do which is pretend to be a married couple." Sam was a bit hurt to hear her say this especially after the night they had but he knew she had to have been just saying that to keep Rachel in the dark.

"I see more and I am hoping the audience sees what I see too." Rachel said with a smile as she looked at a hurt Sam and an annoyed look on Mercedes' face. "Hair and make-up will be here shortly. Don't be late! America is waiting to fall in love with you too." she sang before opening the door then stopping shortly to look back at Sam. "Oh, Stacy will be here before you go on with Blaine."

"Thanks, Rache." Sam smiled at the mentioning of Stacy being there but the minute the door closed, Mercedes stood up to leave. "Mercedes, can we talk about last night?"

"Not right now, Sam." She responded before darting back into the bedroom. Sam watched her walk away wondering what he needed to do to get her to see him differently. He still hadn't heard back from Kurt about the job and having sex with her made things take huge steps back. He knew there was only one person he could talk to that would give him sound advice. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed Artie's number.

"Your go for Artie."

"Hey Artie, it's Sam...I need some advice." Sam stated as he took steps back on to the beach. "It's about Mercedes."

"What did you do, tell her you worship the devil?" Artie asked.

"No...we went out last night to celebrate our week-iversary..."

"She celebrated a week?"

"Hey it's a relevant thing to celebrate when you've only just met the person then get married in front of all America."

"Alright...chill...so what happened afterwards?"

"We had fun then we kinda...you know." Sam said as he paced as the images of them replayed in his mind.

"Ahhh sooki sooki now...I might watch the show now. I was afraid if I watched it that I'd grow a vagina but now that it has porn on it I just might tune in."

"It wasn't on camera, you sicko."

"Oh okay then I won't be watching again." Artie said before laughing. "So you got you some chocolate, what's wrong?"

"Well for one, she won't talk to me and..." he sighed then continued. "We didn't use any protection."

"Say what now?" Artie asked in shock. "Are you crazy, Sam?"

"We got caught up in the moment."

"No Sam, there's no excuse! That is completely irresponsible you have to wear one every time."

"I know...you don't have to yell at me."

"NO! Sam, you're lucky you're already married or I would seriously slut shame you right now."

"Artie, I didn't call you to be judged. I called you because Mercedes is not talking to me now and I need help with redeeming myself. Now can you help me or not?" Sam asked before sighing and listening to see if Artie would finally respond.

"Okay...I'm sorry...you just caught me off guard." Artie responded. "Just...tell her how you feel and don't let her walk away from you." Artie said as Sam continued to listen.

* * *

Mercedes looked out the window as Sam spoke on the phone. She knew she needed to talk to Sam but she wasn't ready. She wanted to make sure that she didn't say anything that she'd regret. She wanted to have time to do exactly what she always did, over think the situation. She grabbed her phone and called her mother. Her mother answered the phone within the first ring as if she knew Mercedes was calling.

"Sweetie, are you alright? I had a dream that you needed me."

"I always need you, mom."

"I would suppose you didn't anymore. You done left Lima then up and married that white boy without inviting me to the wedding..."

"Mom, I thought you said you were over the whole thing with Sam."

"I missed my only daughter's wedding. Just because I like Sam and accept this crazy marriage doesn't mean I am over missing the wedding." her mother said.

"So you like Sam?"

"Did you not hear me say anything else after that?" she asked then paused. "You know, I know you're doing this arranged marriage for the money, and as much as I hate that you found love this way..."

"Love?"

"...but I think you might actually have feelings for Sam."

"What? Why would you say that?" Mercedes asked as she continued to watch Sam pacing on the beach. Even from far she couldn't help but see that he was one hot guy. She shook her head as the thought of them having sex in the bathroom replayed in her mind. She thanked God that there were no cameras in there because she would die if her mother or America got to see them go at it the way they did.

"It's okay, you don't have to admit it to me yet. I know you struggle with being honest about your feelings."

"I don't have problems with expressing my feelings. I just have issues with Sam not...believing in God." Mercedes said mumbling the last part. She heard her mother sighed and prayed her mother wouldn't tear into her.

"Baby, do you think your dad was religious when I met him?" she asked but didn't wait for an answer. "He hated church but I dragged his butt there every day. I told him that if he loved me then he was going to love God."

"But Dad left, mom."

"And?" her mother said as if that didn't change the situation. "Every man is not going to be like your dad or that Anthony boy that you drool over. Some might surprise you."

"Mom..."

"And I think Sam will surprise you...give the boy a chance. Oh and I'll be watching that premiere so that I can finally see you in your wedding dress."

"Okay, mom." Mercedes responded and sighed as she continued to look at Sam. Tesla and her mother was right, it was time she did what she had to stop getting in her own way. And give the marriage a real shot without overthinking everything.

* * *

"Welcome to the premiere of Million Dollar Love. I am Blaine Anderson, and I will be the host for the duration of this show." Blaine said with a smile. "I know many of you have seen the promos that were launched about two strangers coming together in marriage for year and the chance to win a million dollars. Tonight, you will meet the couple that agreed to this and watch with them their journey down the aisle and the first episode of the honeymoon." Blaine smiled as he turned towards another camera. "We have a live audience here and will allow some to ask questions to the couple."

"The show will showcase the ends and outs of the couple and then for those of you that can't take what is aired, you can pay for a live feed. The live feed will show the inside of the house 24/7, with the exception of the bathrooms." Blaine turned towards another camera and beamed before introducing Sam and Mercedes. "And now for the moment you all have been waiting for...Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones-Evans!" The room irrupted with applauds as Sam and Mercedes walked out. Initially Mercedes wanted to walk out before Sam but he quickly took her hand and held it as they walked out together. "Mercedes, you look beautiful...and Sam, loving the new look."

"Thanks."

"Do you miss the long hair? From most of the promos, we have you with long hair and everyone seemed to love the look."

"I cut it for...my wife." Sam said with a smile as he squeezed her hand.

"I loved your long hair, Sam." Mercedes said as she forced a smile on her face. Sam wasn't sure if she was being genuine but Blaine jumped on the opportunity to remind her that she wasn't.

"Let's jump into a clip." Blaine said as he turned to the screen as the lights dimmed. They all turned and watched a video showing Mercedes talking about Sam's moppy like hair. Mercedes slowly released Sam's hand and looked away from the camera as the clip ended. She looked out into the audience and could just feel the eyes of everyone glaring her way as the lights were turned back on. "So when did you start loving his long moppy like hair?"

"Uh..."

"I think my wife realized that you don't miss a good thing till it's gone." Sam said reaching for her hand again.

"Well let's watch how she became your wife." Blaine smiled as the lights dimmed and the show started. They showed many clips of Sam and Mercedes as the theme song played. They watched Sam and Mercedes interviews, clips of them before they ever met each other. Then the wedding day showed the two of them prepping for that day then walking down the aisle. Mercedes looked on at the audience as they watched the Mercedes sing and how they awww'd at their first danced. Once the wedding episode and honeymoon was over the lights turned on as Blaine opened the floor for questions. "That was a beautiful wedding, let's open the floor for questions." he looked into the crowd then pointed at a girl in the front row.

"Hi Blaine...Hi Sam and Mercedes, I have been waiting to watch this show ever since I first saw the promotions airing." she smiled. "My question is for Sam, love the haircut by the way." she added with a giggle as Sam braced himself for the question. "Watching the wedding video, I can tell the both of you looked surprised and a bit unpleased with seeing that you'd be marrying each other. Can you tell us what you were thinking when you finally saw Mercedes?"

"Uh..." Sam wasn't sure how to answer that honestly but he looked at Mercedes and decided to just say what happened. "Well, I wasn't exactly _unpleased_ with seeing Mercedes. I was just shocked because we bumped into each other before the wedding and we kinda had a disagreement."

"I've notice the hand holding and it seems things have changed for the two of you." Blaine said as he looked towards them before looking back to the audience. "Next question." he pointed towards another woman.

"My question is for Sam...well and Mercedes too." the woman said as she smiled. "How do you too feel about being married to someone outside of your race? Or have you ventured down that lane before?"

"Um...I don't see race..." Sam started to say but Mercedes quickly squeezed his hand. "I mean, I don't care what race the woman I fall for is. All I care about is their heart and Mercedes has a big heart." he added causing Mercedes to smile.

"Ditto!" Mercedes smiled as Blaine pointed towards another woman. "This entire thing is a new experience for the both of us. We are learning each other and embracing what makes us different. I think it's those things that make us work so far." Sam smiled as Mercedes looked to him and smiled at him.

"Hi Sam and Mercedes, I love you two as a couple. I have already started a ship name trending called Samcedes." she beamed before continuing. "I loved the wedding and have already paid for the online subscription. How do you all feel about being watched daily? I know that can be a lot."

"It's hard. Sometimes we forget that we're being filmed. At first I thought I would always be aware of them being around but then I just started getting used to it." Mercedes responded.

"Yeah, sometimes we really forget that they are there." Sam said with a chuckle.

"You know, that kind of leads us to the next clip which shows what you all will look forward to seeing. Let's take a look." Blaine said as the lights dimmed again and the video showed a couple clips of Sam and Mercedes snorkeling and enjoying time with each other. Mercedes and Sam smiled as they watched the clip. The smile on Mercedes face slowly began to fade as the music went from a romantic song to a Hip Hop song as they showed clips of the two of them arguing, then a clip of Mercedes kissing Sam in the kitchen. Mercedes tried to pull her hand away from Sam but he held her hand and looked over at her. He could see the look in her eyes and could tell she wanted to run out of there. But nothing prepared them for the last few minutes of the clips when it showed Sam and Mercedes dancing at the club. Then it showed Sam following Mercedes to the bathroom and the door closing as the sound of the couple moaning and knocking things over was being heard.

"Mercedes, I'm sorry." Sam apologized as he watched her eyes fill with tears. She looked at Sam as the lights flickered back on. She blinked away the tears then plastered a smile on her face as if her worst fears didn't just come true. He could tell she wanted to run off the stage but instead she stayed and listened to Blaine announce the date and time the show will be showing. Once the taping was done, Mercedes immediately ran off the stage. Sam quickly followed behind her as she ran towards the car that would take them home. The entire ride was quiet and once they made it back she ran right out of the car.

"Mercedes!"

"Sam, my mother was watching! She saw all of that." Mercedes said as tears ran down her face. "I swear when I see Rachel I am going to...ugh!" she growled as she clinched her fist. She wanted to punch the living day lights out of that woman. It was clear and obvious that she was willing to do anything for her show to get good ratings and Mercedes was tired of being on the tail end of the stick.

"Mercedes..."

"Sam, she's trying to humiliate me. Everything she's ever done has been to make me look like an idiot." Mercedes said. "I can't deal with this." Sam watched as she cried then pulled her in as she wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. "I want to punch Rachel when I see her. Repeatedly. And if you don't hold me back I swear I will." she added as she looked up at him. Sam reached up and wiped her tears away and smiled.

"I just might let you do it." Sam chuckled as he continued to stroke her face softly. He felt himself lowering to kiss her and hoped she'd meet him half way but they were interrupted just as the sound of a van pulled up outside. "I think that's my sister." Sam said as she stepped away and forced a smile on her face as she usually did.

* * *

Once Stacy was set up in one of the bottom rooms, Sam took a few minutes to the nurse that would be with them to watch over Stacy. As Sam spoke to Penny the nurse, Mercedes sat in the room and looked at Stacy as she slept. Mercedes knew that having her there would be great for Sam. She wondered if Stacy would like her or not. She held the girl's hand and sighed before praying for her.

"I really pray you wake up soon. Sam really needs you. He tries to be strong but every now and then he breaks down from holding it all in. He's been being strong for you and now he needs someone to be strong for him." she said as she looked out at Sam talking to Penny and smiled when a broad smile spread across his face. "You know, you will be so proud of Sam once you wake up." Mercedes said before giving Stacy's hand a squeeze then leaving the room.

"You both have my number but I will always be either in Stacy's room or not too far away." Penny said as she smiled at Mercedes and stepped away. Sam looked at Mercedes and smiled.

"You have no idea how happy I am that she's here. One of the hardest things I struggled with was having to put her in the clinic to be here." Sam confessed as he looked at Mercedes and smiled. "Thank you so much for this."

"I didn't do anything, Sam." Mercedes said as they both walked over to the living room and sat.

"You brought up the idea, Mercedes." Sam said as he reached for Mercedes' hand. "Look I know the premiere didn't go as well as we hoped, and I am sorry about what happened last night. It shouldn't have happened that way, but we're married so it's expected that we might...you know." he shrugged. Mercedes smiled as he spoke. It was the third person that day that was giving her this speech and she was about tired of hearing it. But Sam was cute as he tried to explain why it was okay to have sex in their sham of a marriage. "In any other setting, if you found me attractive and I found you hot...we would have...you know."

"Sam."

"I like you Mercedes and you have feelings for me too even though you won't admit to those feelings yet. And these cameras and Rachel aren't making things easy..."

"Sam..."

"I know I'm not the best guy for you or who you would initially go for..."

"Sam...please stop..."

"But I am your husband, you're my wife, and we had sex. There's nothing wrong with that..."

"It was unprotected, Sam."

"We were tested before starting this show."

"I could have gotten pregnant."

"You mean you could be pregnant." Sam interjected causing Mercedes to stop what she was about to say. She had no intention of telling Sam or all of America that she took Plan B earlier that morning with Tesla in the bathroom. "Look, Mercedes, we're supposed to be married in every sense of the word. So if you were pregnant we would just be parents."

"Sam, being a parent isn't easy. It takes so much to be one."

"You don't think I know this, Mercedes?" Sam asked as he jumped up. "Who do you think has been a parent for Stacy?"

"Sam, I didn't..."

"I know you see me as some goof off that just likes to jog, surf and gamble for no reason..."

"Sam, calm down." Mercedes said as she tried to reach for his hand.

"I've been raising her on my own ever since my father died. When she needed a new pair of sneakers, I gambled to get it for her. When my mother couldn't pay the rent I did what I had to pay it." Sam said as Mercedes watched him pace before her.

"Sam..."

"Mercedes," Sam said as he knelt in front of her and took her hands. "I want to take this marriage seriously and I want you to take me seriously."

"Sam, I take you very seriously and this marriage...but even if we'd be great parents, it's not what we need right now. We've only been married a week. We haven't even figured out where we stand with each other outside of these cameras. Rachel is trying to tear us apart and if we have no strong foundation we will easily fall by the way side." she explained and sighed as Sam looked at her. "Look, I want to take that journey with you and see where it takes us without us rushing into it like we did with this marriage. We couldn't control that but we can control...this" she said as gestured at the both of them.

"So what does that mean for us and...you know? I mean, I'm willing to wait and all if that's what you want..." Sam rambled as Mercedes smiled at him then leaned closer to him, kissing him softly. "Mercedes, the cameras are watching." Sam said as he pulled away.

"Let's give them a show then." she said as she stood up and extended her hand towards him. Sam stood up and walked over to her and took her hand as she guided him upstairs towards their bedroom.

* * *

Rachel watched with excitement as Mercedes and Sam made out in their bedroom. She looked at her ratings and just smiled. People were buying subscriptions left and right. The show was a hit. Rachel couldn't wait till she was able to get them to at least a month of dating before breaking them up. All she needed was a month of taping to get her show a full season and renewal for a new set of couples next season. So far, Sam and Mercedes were jumping the hurdles that she placed before them every day. In a way she loved the fight within them and the viewers were eating it up but she knew they'd enjoy a fight between them more. Nothing gets viewers going more than a little love angst. Unfortunately for them, Rachel was gearing for a full on angst that would cause the couple to file for divorce and forfeit the million dollars. Tomorrow, she planned on having Kurt call Mercedes to offer the job and let Sam down all in one swoop. And if they could get through that hurdle she was ready for the next blow. She smiled as she watched them cuddle in bed as if they could beat anything she had planned for them.

"Enjoy this paradise for now, there will be trouble coming soon." she said as sipped her wine and watched them dip under the covers once again.


	11. Episode 9- It's Black It's White

**Hey you all thanks for returning, reviewing and all that jazz. I am happy that you all enjoyed how I flipped the script with Artie slutshaming Sam instead. I love that scene because Sam's face as he rubbed the hand sanitizer kills me every time. WhoKnowsTV, I love ur long reviews. I feel as if I am reading a fic every time I read them lol. So much happens in this episode, so again fair warning...lol Anyway, you all came for the story.**

* * *

Mercedes smiled as she nestled into the side of Sam's arm as he spoke. Gone were the pillows that used to be between them like the Great Wall of China. They were now celebrating a month together and Mercedes still couldn't believe that she was still married to Sam, and enjoying it. They even were there for Tesla's baby shower and Sam came along for when she went into labor. And when Tesla allowed Sam to hold baby Ava, she saw the glimmer in his eyes. Tesla looked at Mercedes and gave her a knowing look. And when they made it back home, Sam was definitely in a loving mood. She'd shied away from having sex with Sam since that bathroom incident but she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold it in. They were really falling for each other and she no longer cared what America thought. After everything they'd gone through that month, if they could overcome all of those hurdles, she knew they could make it to a year or more. They'd had the biggest argument ever and Mercedes learned then not to look at any social media comments. Those who paid for non-stop viewing access had a lot to say about the argument. Some were on Sam's side and some on Mercedes'. She sighed as she thought back to the argument:

Mercedes was on the couch with Sam's head on her lap as she stroked his hair and giggled every few seconds at the show on the TV. They were starting a new routine that they had no idea was forming and it felt good. They were both in a happy spot and Mercedes felt that at that point no one could ruin that moment for them. But she had thought too soon as Rachel came sauntering in, Mercedes clinched her fist tight wanting to jab the short woman in the jaw for what she'd done. Sam slowly placed his hand over his causing Mercedes to loosen her fist.

"I have good news and bad news." she sang as she walked over to them then paused as she took in the two of them on the couch. "Don't you two look cute."

"Can you explain why you are singing that you may have good news?" Mercedes asked as she glared at Rachel.

"I said...good news..."

"And you said bad news." Mercedes said interrupting her as Sam gave her hand a soft pat to calm her down.

"Mercedes, I know you don't like me much right now, but I am not the bad guy." Rachel explained with a smile before sitting in the chair beside them. "So I just left a meeting with Kurt and he has extended an offer to work with him. Granted he is choosing to do this sans the cameras, I feel it would help this project that there's a working person within the marriage." She smiled at Sam then looked at Mercedes. "Unfortunately, Kurt only has one position." Mercedes was a bit confused by this, she didn't understand why it would matter if there were more than one positions. That is until Sam jumped up with excitement and making plans.

"Yes! Thanks Rache, I really appreciate this." he said as he shook her hand. Mercedes eyed the sinister smile on Rachel's face as she allowed Sam to rejoice. "Man, it's been so long since I've had a real job. Mercedes, wait til you see." he pulled her up into his arm hugging Mercedes tight. She hugged him tight but she couldn't help but feel the anxiety rushing through her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "So when do I start?"

"Uh, Sam...that's the thing, I couldn't get Kurt to hire you like I planned...but I was able to get Mercedes a spot with Kurt." Rachel said with a smile as she looked over at Mercedes. "He wants you to start immediately." Rachel said as she handed the offer letter to Mercedes. Mercedes stared at the letter as she read that she would be working as Kurt Hummel's assistant and wanted to jump for joy. Unfortunately, she could sense that Sam was not as happy for her as he was when he thought that he got the job.

"Sorry, you wasted your time, but Mercedes isn't taking the job." Sam said as he took the letter from Mercedes and handed it back to Rachel.

"Excuse me?" Mercedes asked as she took the letter back from Rachel and looked at Sam as if he'd completely lost his marbles.

"Mercedes, you don't see what she did there?" Sam asked as he pointed to Rachel. "She did this on purpose…like she always does."

"Sam, I did nothing but get you both in to see Kurt. I can't make him create a job if he doesn't have one to give."

"Yeah, right, whatever!" Sam said as he shook his head and turned away. "She's not taking the job anyway."

"Sam, where the hell do you get off making decisions for me?" Mercedes asked as she stormed over to him and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm taking the job, Sam. It's an opportunity to work with Kurt Hummel. Do you know how big that is?" For a minute she thought he was about to say he understood but he didn't.

"Mercedes, you know how much I need this job. I deserve it."

"Oh and I don't?" they were so busy arguing that they didn't even notice that Rachel had already crept out leaving to watch from the comfort of her car. Penny watched uncomfortably from the doorway of Stacy's bedroom door. She wanted to intervene but knew it wasn't her place. So she pretended as if she was not watching them argue.

"I didn't say that, Mercedes." Sam sighed and shook his head as she rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying I am the one that asked about that job. He only had one position and from the interview I had with him he practically said it was mine. And now he just hands you the job..."

"Oh hell to the no, Sam!" Mercedes said as her neck rolled as she said every word with disgust. "He didn't hand me shit! I worked the hell out of that damn interview, Sam. And you think I don't deserve this opportunity? How dare you say that to me!"

"Mercedes, I didn't say that. You're putting words in my mouth." Sam could feel he was losing this battle but he felt he was set up to fail and he hated that the most. "All I'm saying is that if she didn't send you to that interview, I would have gotten it. I wore a suit and carried around that stupid expensive bag. I cut my freaking hair and everything."

"Well excuse the fuck out of me, Sam! I guess you're right you deserve it over me."

"Mercedes...stop..."

"I mean, it's not like I don't go through hell with my own freaking hair."

"Your hair doesn't stop you from getting jobs, Mercedes." Sam said then immediately wished he hadn't as Mercedes turned and looked at him as if he'd lost it.

"Ha! Sam, do you know what normally happens when a white man and a black woman are up for a job? It doesn't matter if the black woman has talent up the wazoo. It doesn't matter if she conforms and wears her hair in a way that society deems acceptable. It doesn't matter if the man knows absolutely nothing about the job he's applying for. He will get that job over her ten times over."

"Oh spare me, Mercedes, that's not what happened here. This is not a race issue."

"It is a race issue, Sam. It always is. It's also a sexist issue. And as a black woman, I come in the door with two strikes already against due to things I have no control over. You just don't see it because your white privilege has you feeling that your entitlement trumps my talent and worthiness to work with Kurt."

"White Privilege? Oh God, are we really going to go there?"

"Oh now you wanna call God?"

"What about black privilege?"

"Sam, I swear, you better..."

"Whatever man." Sam said as he sat down feeling frustrated. "It doesn't matter what I say. You're just going to keep twisting everything and making me the bad guy. I never said I deserved the job because I'm a white man. I just feel I deserve it because I wanted it more." Mercedes knew she was going overboard but she was just beyond herself at that point and Sam wasn't helping it with the things he was saying.

"And how did you figure that you want this more than me? Did you ever write for anything ever? All through high school, I did glee club, yearbook and the McKinley Journal. Aside from singing, fashion and magazine has always been a passion of mine. Can you say the same, Sam?" she asked as she looked at the back of his head. He knew she was right but he really wanted this job to prove that he was the kind of man that took care of home, like his father. He looked up and noticed the cameramen zooming in on his face and immediately lost it.

"You know what; if you don't see what Rachel's doing, forget it! TAKE THE FUCKING JOB, MERCEDES! TAKE IT!" Sam shouted before storming out of the house. Mercedes sighed because she knew he was right. Rachel did all of this on purpose. She never told Sam or Mercedes that they were interviewing for Kurt. And she knew that Kurt would have never hired Sam when he had no experience or interest whatsoever in fashion. Mercedes knew she had to fix it. She looked down at the job offer letter and called the number at the bottom of the page.

"Hello, may I please speak with Kurt Hummel?" Mercedes asked then waited to be connected to Kurt as she tried to think of what to say. She couldn't believe she was about to turn the job down for Sam but she knew it was the right thing to do. Either way, her dream job was to be a singer but she'd always dreamed of working with Kurt too. The only difference is that since she married Sam, she had the opportunity to sing three songs on TV. Two of which went viral on Youtube while the other one made the top twenties on Itunes. Sure they were all covers but her dream to be a singer could still be reached whether she chose to work with Kurt or not.

"Kurt Hummel, speaking."

"Uh...hi Kurt, it's Mercedes..."

"Oh hey, Mercedes, I am hoping you're calling to accept the offer. I look forward to having you work and I am sure you will enjoy being away from the cameras for a few hours." Kurt said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, I was actually calling to turn down the position. See, Rachel didn't tell me that Sam also interviewed for this position and I just can't..."

"Let me stop you right there, sweetie." Kurt said interrupting her. "I do not want to hear that you won't do this. I really enjoyed your company so...if the only way this would work is if I get Sam as well, then okay. I can make a few calls and have something for the two of you tomorrow. Just come by and see me in the morning, okay?" he asked then paused as if he was waiting for her to answer but continued anyway. "You know what before you even say anything I am going to hang up. See you in the morning, Mercedes."

"Thank you, Kurt." Mercedes said as a smile spread across her face. No one had ever wanted her that much before and she had to admit it felt good.

"Don't thank me...just be here in the morning." he said before hanging up the phone. Mercedes stared at the phone and smiled before placing the phone away. She couldn't believe the life she was living. She was living the dream and not too long ago she was almost homeless but now here she was, married to a white man, singing on national TV and about to work for Kurt Hummel. She couldn't wait to tell Sam the good news and apologize for being a hothead.

Mercedes waited for a while for Sam to return but when he didn't she decided to relieve Penny and sat with Stacy. She felt a bit awkward as Penny walked by because she knew she watched the argument go down, hell all of America saw it. She just knew the comments were going to be filled with Team Sam vs Team Mercedes drama all week long. She didn't want to seem as if she was the race card girl. She was just tired of it and Sam kind of pushed the wrong button. But she should've known better. She should have known that Rachel was up to the same old crap. Sam should have let her punch Rachel when she came waltzing in.

"I think I might be messing things up, Stacy." Mercedes said as she grabbed a brush and began brushing Stacy's hair. "Your brother might be right about me and my temper and attitude. Not too many men can handle all this sass." She giggled then stopped when she thought she saw Stacy's eyes twitch. "You know, I always wanted a little sister." Mercedes smiled and continued to brush her hair. "I used to beg my mother for a sister and she'd turn and look at me and say: ' _With whose uterus?'_ and I would laugh and point at her." Mercedes chuckled again. "One day she got tired of me asking and brought home this scraggly looking mutt of a dog. I thought he was the ugliest little thing...but he was my little thing." she sighed as she placed the brush down. "Little HeyHey was his name." Mercedes giggled then walked to the other side of the bed with the door to her back. "We called him HeyHey because every time he'd jump on my mother's bed she'd shout: _HEY, HEY, GET OFF MY BED AND OUT MY ROOM!"_

"I don't know if that's a sad story or a cute story." she heard Sam say from behind her. She turned and looked at him as he stood in the door way with his hand in his pockets. She felt her heart flip slightly and knew they needed to apologize to each other. "I'm sorry..."

"Wait, Sam, let me..."

"No...I…I really need to say sorry for my attitude. It was immature and you were right about deserving the job more. I would've sucked and probably annoy Kurt with my presence." Sam forced a quick smile before walking over to her and taking her by the hand. "I was so focused on getting a job to prove to that I can treat my lady right, that I ended up doing the opposite."

"Sam..."

"Take the job, babe." Sam said before smiling down at her. Mercedes blushed hearing him call her babe that she almost forgot about the surprise she had for him. "Bring home the bacon, and I'll be the stay at home dad with Stacy."

"Actually, I called Kurt and told him that we are a package deal. That he either takes us both or nothing." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Take me baby or leave me."

"Seriously? Why would you sacrifice that for me?" Sam asked as he stared down at her. "Take the job, Mercedes. I'll find something else."

"You're worth it, Sam...but don't worry, Kurt has something for you. We start tomorrow." Mercedes said with a smile as Sam looked down at her as if she just gave birth to his first born.

That was weeks ago and Rachel had finally decided to let the lovebirds enjoy their time together. She hated that the blow up wasn't bigger. She wanted it to be bigger. She hated Kurt for finding something for Sam. The viewers were losing their minds on Twitter even before they aired the next episode. This was driving others to pay for the subscription as they didn't want to wait for the episode to air. They wanted to see what was causing the drama and those that saw it had a lot to say. But that was weeks ago and things had died down. Those who were divided about Sam and Mercedes weeks ago, now loved how cute they looked together. Rachel almost hated how good of a job she did pairing the two until Will Schuester told her how she was weeks in from securing a full season with Sam and Mercedes. So for the time being, she was going to allow them the luxury of enjoying this calm before the storm.

* * *

Sam couldn't dare move from where he lied after the day they had together yesterday. They hadn't slept a wink since the hospital and soon he'd have to do his morning jogs before work or see if Mercedes would end up getting up and jogging with him. He was shocked the first day she decided to jog with him but he was starting to enjoy it. Unfortunately, there were mornings where Mercedes just allowed him to go alone or she'd cling to him. They'd cuddle till it was time to go in to work. They still hadn't had sex since that bathroom incident. So far she'd only allow him to get to the third base before she'd wrap her arms around him and pretend to sleep. Sam wanted to ask her about it but he also didn't want to wreck things.

It had been a month since they got married and a few weeks since that heated racial argument. Since then they'd fallen into a routine of living together as husband and wife. They'd even begin to ignore the cameras. Mercedes would go off with Kurt, helping with different column ideas that she talked about every day. While Sam was off working as a project manager for one of the warehouses and at the end of the day they came home to each other. They would spend time with Stacy, and then eat dinner before cuddling on the sofa before bed. Things had gotten so good that she even allowed him to come along to the Co-Ed baby shower Tesla had right before she went into labor right in the middle of the event. And when baby Ava was placed in Sam's arms to hold, Sam almost teared up. He'd always seen himself as a father to Stacy but he couldn't wait till he was a real father. He couldn't stop talking about it.

"I think I want a son first. Not for the obvious, carry my name type of thing..." he smiled as he looked down at her as she silently listened. He wanted to ask her why she was so quiet but he was still on baby high. "I wanna do all the things my dad couldn't because of the cancer and stuff." Sam continued. "Teach him how to throw a football, play catch with him, teach him how to treat a girl right, you know?" he rubbed her arm and pulled her close hoping to get her to talk finally but she didn't. "You...uh...you want children, right?" he asked and held his breath praying that this wouldn't start an argument.

"Um...yeah...I guess." she replied. Sam didn't know that this conversation was suddenly making Mercedes feel a bit guilty. Sam had no idea that not too long ago, after their bathroom session, she'd taken a plan B. There was no guarantee that she had gotten pregnant but it could have been a possibility. And if Sam knew she did that without discussing it with him that would be yet another argument they'd have for America to give their opinions.

"Would you...want a girl?" Sam asked trying to pull something out of her. She didn't look at him and even pulled away slightly but he held her close. "I think she'd be just as beautiful as her mother." he added as she finally looked up at him and forced a smile on her face. "You can do all the girly things that girls do. My sister would love to have a niece. The three of you in the house with just me as the only man in the house, house would be crazy, huh?" Sam was trying to stir something out of her but she wasn't biting anything. She was still quietly looking off into the distance as if she had something on her mind that was making it difficult to join him in his fantasy.

"Sam, don't you think it's too early to be having this type of conversation. We shouldn't rush into stuff like that."

"We kinda rush into everything, babe."

"Sam, a baby is forever."

"And so are we."

"We're trying to be, Sam." Mercedes smiled before kissing his cheek. She had to admit she admired how he was always ready to dive in head first with her but that also scared her. He never seemed to think anything through. One of the reasons why he had his gambling debt was because he didn't think things through. "Let's get through this year and see where we are before bringing in little Sam running through the house, tracking mud all over my freshly mopped floors and leaving all his toys scattered around the room." she added then looked at Sam quizzically when a smile spread over his face. "What?"

"Little Sam?" he asked then laughed when she playfully hit him. He was happy to see that she was at least entertaining it enough to envision their son running around. "In this hypothetical, does little Sam look like you or me? 'Cause between you and me, he's doomed to have some lips on him."

"I think you have cute lips." Mercedes said as she got on top of him and kissed his lips. Sam had a feeling she was trying to get him to stop talking about having babies, but he wasn't going to stop her. He looked up at her and smiled as he rubbed her butt from under the sheets. "Do you like my lips?" Mercedes asked against his lips as he tried to pull her in for a more deeper kiss. "Do you?"

"Yes, Mercedes, I like your lips." Sam said as he suddenly felt the need to tell her that there were cameras in their bedroom. Instead, he just allowed her to continue to tease him. If she would rather do this on camera then talk to him about having kids, he knew it was not something she saw with him yet. He reached up and cupped her face as he stared into her eyes. "If you don't want to have a baby with me right now, we can wait. No rush. Okay?" She looked down at him and smiled before placing a kiss in the palm of his hand before leaning into it.

"Let's get a dog."

"Wha..." she'd stopped him with a longer kiss this time before pulling away slightly and smiling at him.

"And...I'm doing this because I want to." she added before pulling the covers over him. Sam's mind was still confused about the dog but his hands had a mind of their own as they inched up her back. He just knew the viewers were about enjoy seeing them squirm the sheets but Sam knew she would regret this later. As much as he hated himself for doing it, he stopped.

"Mercedes… hold on." he said pulling her away and smiling as she looked at him as if he were crazy. "Come with me." he whispered before sliding off the bed and grabbing a blanket and two pillows then tossing her robe to her. She looked at him suspiciously but put on the robe and followed him as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Uh, uh, Sam, we're not about to be that bathroom couple." she said with a chuckle then watched as he opened the window till it was wide opened then extended his hand to her.

"Do you trust me?" he asked with a smirk on the corner of his lips. Mercedes sighed at how corny he was but walked over and took his hand anyway.

"Sure Aladdin...give me a second." she smiled before running back in the room then back to follow him through the window. The view from the roof was something she needed to enjoy more before this whole thing was over and they'd have to move. But for the meantime, she had Sam standing in front of her making a makeshift bed on the roof. Just so that they'd be away from the cameras. Sam watched as she walked over to him then knelt down next to him before pushing him down on the pillows he placed.

"We can just lay here and enjoy the view." he said as she straddled him and started to remove her robe. "We don't have to do anything."

"Sam...shut up!" she said with a smile as she tossed her robe aside then looked down at her tummy and went to cover it with her hands. Sam quickly grabbed her hands away then made her lie down as he placed soft kisses where she tried to place her hands. He continued to place kisses on each side of her hips then softly kissed both sides of her ribs. She looked down at him as he placed a kiss on her lace bra before making his way to her lips. He kissed her passionately as she wrapped her legs around him and allowed him to grind into her till their breathing became hard to ignore. Sam pulled and smiled at her before pulling his boxers down. This would be the first time she would see him fully naked as the last time they had sex all the lights were off. She reached up and touched his chest then trailed down his abs and stopped as she stared at him. She reached over to where her robe was and handed Sam the condom she snatched before following him out the window.

"You look beautiful in the moonlight." he said as he tore open the condom and quickly slipped it on before putting one of her legs over his shoulder then placing a kiss down her legs til he was back on top of her. It wasn't their first time but it sure felt like it was as Sam took his time gently inserting himself inside of her. Once he was fully inside of her, he kissed her and held her hand as they both fell into a rhythm. He enjoyed their first time in the bathroom but he couldn't explain why this felt on another level to him.

"Sam..." she moaned as she bit on her bottom lip then rolled over till she was on top of him. Sam watched as she quickly removed her bra. He sat up then began kissing her neck while taking hold of her breast before wrapping his other arm around her. Mercedes tilted her head back as the sensation of Sam sucking on her neck, teasing her nipples and thrusting inside, had her overwhelmed with pleasure.

"Whoa…" Sam said as he began to pick up speed before they both collapsed back. Mercedes slowly slid off of him and stared up at the stars. Sam wanted to cuddle first but he also wanted to remove the soiled rubber. He sat up and crossed over her smiling down at her as she watched him freely walk back towards the window in full nudity. "You like what you see?"

"I think I just might." Mercedes said with a smile before reaching up and smack his pale white butt as he passed by. He leaned into the window of the bathroom and tossed the rubber in the toilet before pulling a towel outside with him. He walked back over to Mercedes and wrapped the towel around his midsection before sitting back next to her. Once he lied down she turned to nestle into him again. "Can we stay out here a little while longer?" she asked. He smiled and nodded before wrapping his arm around her then kissing her forehead before he looked up at the stars. He was happy that they were no longer in a bad place but he still felt that there was something Mercedes didn't want to tell him. Then he remembered her asking about getting a dog and his mind went right to it.

"So…uh…back to this dog thing."


	12. Episode 10- Melt With You

***Song used was I melt with you* Sans Rachel Yay!**

* * *

Rachel tapped her pen on her desk as she listened to Will praise her for the ratings on the show. She really wanted to tell him that she always knew that her show would do well. Since she was young, she'd always achieved everything she ever set her eyes on. Outside of love and marriage, she always gave whatever she was interested in 100% of her attention. Even now, while Will was singing her praises, she was watching the latest episode of Million dollar love on Hulu. To be honest, she was scrolling through the many comments that were left by the viewers. People were loving the show and were saying it would be the next The Bachelor in no time.

"Now that I have told you what is good with the show...I do have a couple things that I would like to address." Will said causing Rachel to pause her scrolling and finally tune in to what he was saying. "Just a few things that we feel has been lacking in the show in the past few episodes."

"Lacking? What are you talking about? The viewers have loved every episode. Sam and Mercedes are now one of America's greatest love story." Rachel bragged, feeling solely responsible for bringing the two strangers together.

"Yes, while that is true...that's not exactly what you sold me on."

"It's exactly what I sold you on, Will," she paused briefly as she stood up to pace around the room. "Can I call you Will now?" she asked before continuing to talk. "My entire show is based on a marriage working for two strangers brought together with a chance to win money. They are working and soaring through every obstacle I've placed before them. As I promised."

"Yeah, but Rachel, you do remember they aren't supposed to actually win this money. If they aren't phased by these hurdles, you will need to up the ante or find a million dollars to pay them when they last a year."

"They will not last a year, Will." Rachel responded before stepping in front of a mirror that was in her office. "And if they happen to actually make it, why not pay them. The show is generating a lot of money for the network, right?" Rachel asked just in case there was an inkling of a chance that Sam and Mercedes would work out.

"The network has no interest in paying them a quarter mill for three months so it's safe to say the million is out of question." Will responded as Rachel tried to figure out a way to change his mind. Sam and Mercedes lasted longer than most people thought and they haven't faltered much as she thought they would have. And now she had a few weeks to break them up for good to make a great finale. She needed more time. "So, figure something out and we'll be in touch."

"But..." Rachel tried to say but Will had already hung up. She stared at the board she had up in her office with different things she could use against the couple. She knew needed something big. She turned her attention to the live feed that she had playing on a different computer and watched Sam and Mercedes in the kitchen. They were cooking together and every so often Sam would stand behind her as she cooked then wrapped his arms around her. Rachel found herself smiling as she watched Mercedes giggle while Sam kissed her neck. "I am too good at what I do." she thought to herself as she sat at the edge of her desk and looked at Mercedes' folder and smiled. She had a few phone calls to make and hoped it all worked out in her favor.

* * *

Mercedes loved Saturdays. Usually she would be working but while she was on the show and working for Kurt, he didn't allow her to work weekends. She told him that she didn't mind but he insisted and she thanked the lord for it. Saturday was the only day that they both had off together, so they would wake up early to cook breakfast together. Sam usually chopped then watched as Mercedes perfected whatever she deemed appropriate that morning. Sam loved watching her cook and he loved to sneak kisses on her neck and wrap his arm around her. He couldn't keep his hands off of her after their perfect night on the roof a few days ago. Since that night they found ways to duck off for a quickie without the cameras catching them at every chance.

"Sam, you're going to make me mess this omelet up." she whined before poking her butt out to push him away. He stood firmly behind her and held her closer while she squirmed to move him again. "Okay, play with it. If your omelet is burned, you can't pick off my plate." she warned him as he finally stepped back with his hands up.

"Alright alright." he said before walking over to the fridge and grabbing the OJ then making his way to the table. Mercedes smiled at him as she plated his food and her own and joined him at the table. "The food smells good as usual, babe."

"Thanks, Sam." she smiled before sitting across from him as he tore in. She loved cooking for him because he always dug in as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. Usually he ate fast but today he was scarfing down the food faster than usual. "Slow down, baby. Chew!" Mercedes said with a giggle as she buttered her toast.

"Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!" Sam said as he tried an impression with his mouth full. Mercedes always laughed when he tried to say things with sass and he always smiled with pride that he was able to make her laugh. "We really need to hurry." Sam said as he took a sip of his OJ and stared as she took her sweet time eating her breakfast. "Babe, you really eat slow."

"Sam, I am not about to choke myself on this piece of toast in front of all America, just because you're excited that we're getting a puppy today." she replied as she reached for the strawberry jam.

"Babe, the ad said there was going to be a lot of people there today. I wanted to be the first there so we can see as many pups as possible." he continued to scarf down his breakfast hoping that she'd follow suit. He gulped the rest of his OJ down then just stared at her as she took her dear sweet time. Although he was growing impatient he had to admit she looked cute as she pretended to not be bothered with him staring at her.

"Them puppies gon be right there when we get there, Sam. So chill with all that passive aggressive staring." she stood up and grabbed her plate leaving him at the table. "I'm going to go have my breakfast with Stacy. When I am done we will go." she stated as he watched her walk away. He loved how Mercedes enjoyed spending time with Stacy but today was puppy day. And really needed her to hurry up. He followed her to the bedroom as Penny sat in the corner reading her book and smiling at how Sam was staring at Mercedes from the doorway. "Sam, seriously, staring at me is not going to make me eat faster." she said without looking his way as she sat next to Stacy's bed. "Go for a run and when you get back, I'll be ready to go, okay?" she looked up at him then smiled when he sighed and stepped away.

"I have to say...you two are really the cutest." Penny said before looking back in her book then stopping and looking back at Mercedes. "Would you like to be alone with her?" Mercedes smiled at Penny and shook her head. She'd grown to feel like Penny was just like the cameramen that roam around the house. Every once in a while she had to remind herself that Penny wasn't part of production.

"No...you can stay." she replied as she took another bite of her omelet. "We have some extra food on the table, if you're hungry." Mercedes mentioned as Penny politely declined and went back to her book. Mercedes continued to eat till she was done all the while humming and scrolling through her Facebook and Instagram. She read a couple comments that stated that she was making Sam miserable. Some were saying that she was always making things hard for him. She wanted to reply but knew that she shouldn't feed the trolls. Just as she was about to close out of Instagram, she saw a notification on Facebook that someone sent her a message but before she could click to see who it was Sam came back in the room and sulked next to her. "Really, Sam."

"Hey, I'm not rushing you." he quickly said as he touched Stacy's hand. "I am just checking in on my sister." Sam added before looking over at Penny. "Any changes, Penny?"

"No, Mr. Evans...I will let you know the minute I notice any changes as you made me promise." she responded without looking up from her book. Mercedes looked at Sam and smiled before shaking her head.

"Alright, you big baby, let's go."

"Oh I love it when you call me baby." Sam responded with a smile as Mercedes rolled her eyes and walked out the door. Penny looked up at them as they stepped out and smiled at Sam as he winked at her. "I'm driving." Sam shouted behind her before grabbing the car keys and stepping out.

* * *

As they drove to the dog shelter, Mercedes stared out the window and tried to tell herself to live in the moment. With the cameraman sitting in the back seat recording her, she suddenly was feeling self conscious again. "Stop overthinking everything." she said to herself. But even trying to not think of it made her think even more about it. She looked over at Sam as he drove with an intense look in his eyes as he focused on the road. She looked back out the window and wondered if she was really making things harder for him as the comments said. Sam could feel that she was deep in thought and wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he decided not to say anything. He feared anything he would say might start up an argument, so instead he reached over and held her hand with his free hand. She looked over at his hand as they intertwined with hers then looked up at him as he smiled over at her.

"I'm happy you're here with me." Sam said as he took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. Mercedes smiled because it was as if he knew she needed to hear that at the moment. "And, I know I kinda jumped on this puppy bandwagon and hitched on it since you mentioned it but I feel like this would be something big for us as a couple, ya know?" he smiled as she sat quietly and nodded. "And hey, if you want...we can call the dog Hey Hey."

"No...there can only be one Hey Hey...may he rest in peace." Mercedes finally said as Sam turned into the parking lot that was practically empty. Mercedes looked at Sam as he parked the car then just stared as if he missed the ice cream truck. "So...uh...are we too late or too early?" she asked as she stepped out and watched as Sam waited for the cameraman to step out of the car then pressing the alarm to lock the door.

"The ad said that they would be opened till tonight." Sam frowned as he read the ad once more then looked towards the building. "Let's go see if we missed everyone." he added as he looked over at Mercedes. She could tell that he was holding in his thoughts. She knew he wanted to blame her but she couldn't believe that they were already done. It was barely noon.

"Sam..." she said as walked over to him. "I'm sorry if I made us miss the dogs." Mercedes said as Sam reached the door and held it open for her then smiled when he heard the sound of many dogs barking.

"Welcome to Pick a Pup! Where the pup picks you or you get two free!" the brunette said with a wide smiles as she bounced over to them.

"We are not taking two dogs home, Sam." Mercedes made sure she said under her breath as Sam smiled over at her with excitement. "We only want one puppy."

"Well let's see if you can get what you want." she smiled. "I'm Marley, if you have any questions I will be here to answer them."

"Uh...nice to meet you Marley." Sam said as he smiled at her. "I'm Sam and this is my wife Mercedes, we're interested in seeing all of the dogs but we'll be leaving with just one." he reached over and held her hand then smiled at her as she smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Before we start, I do have a question." Mercedes asked looking at Marley. "I thought this was an event where it would be packed. Where is everyone?" she asked as the smile on Marley's face faded away.

"Unfortunately, these events usually go like this." Marley answered as they walked down the aisle to where most of the dogs were located. "People just aren't interested in taking in these dogs. The ones that find a home are the teacup dogs and puppies." she continued to explain as she opened the gate for them to enter. The first dog they saw was big golden brown golden retriever that looked as if he'd given up on being adopted as he laid down quietly in a corner. "Dogs like Goldie here, are usually ignored without a second glance." Mercedes bent down and stuck her finger in the cage to see if Goldie would get up but he just stared at her with the saddest eyes and looked away again.

"How old is he?" Sam asked.

"He's about eight and I'm trying to keep him for as long as I can since he's getting up there in age." she explained as Mercedes got up and followed Marley down to the next dog. "I have name tags and information of each dog on the cage. If you are interested in any of them just let me know and I'll get the paperwork started." Marley said as she allowed them to roam.

"Man, I wish we could do something about these dogs, babe." Sam said as he looked at another dog that looked as if he'd given up. "I mean, look at this dog. He's almost as old as Goldie." Sam said as he pointed towards the black and white Collie that sat inside of the cage. "They all look tired." Sam frowned and looked at Mercedes helplessly.

"You're so cute when you look helpless." she smiled and pinched his cheeks. "Look with the cameras following us we're helping Pick a Pup a lot. People watching will see these dogs and give them a forever home."

"Not with them looking sad like this." Sam said as he bent down and smiled at a beagle that kept trying to get his attention. "We need to have them hype like this, baby." Mercedes looked around at the few dogs that were barking for their attention and then back at the camera man and smiled.

"I have an idea." she smiled then walked over to Sam and whispered for him to get his guitar from the car. He looked at her quizzically but shook his head and made his way to the car. "He'll be right back." She smiled at Marley. She hoped that this impromptu singing would help the dog shelter and help her live in the moment. Sam smiled as he strummed his guitar to the song Mercedes suggested that they sang to the dogs. The moment he began playing they all woke up and began barking a bit louder.

"Moving forward using all my breath..." he strummed over to Mercedes and smirked as he sang the next line. "Making love to you was never second best." she blushed and pushed him slightly in the opposite direction before smiling at Marley who handed her a puppy. "I saw the world crashing all around your face...never really knowing it was always mesh and lace."

"I stop the world and melt with you..." Mercedes smiled as she sang to the puppy then looking over at Sam as he smiled at her. "You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time."

"There's nothing you and I won't do..." they sang together as Marley smiled at the couple. "I'll stop the world and melt with you."

"You should know better!"

"Dream of better lives the kind which never hates..." Mercedes sang as she walked further down the aisle with Sam following behind and singing along with her as he strummed his guitar.

"You should see why!"

"Trapped in the state of imaginary grace..."

"You should know better!"

"I made a pilgrimage to save this humans race..." she smiled at him as she placed the puppy down then reached down to pick up a black and brown Maltese that was barking for her attention.

"You should see why!" Sam smiled as he watched her hug the small pup then pointed towards another dog that was just not feeling all the excitement. The dog sat in the corner and looked at Mercedes and Sam then lied back down.

"Never comprehending the race has long gone bye...Let's stop the world! I'll stop the world and melt with you." Mercedes sang as she picked up the dog and smiled as his tail began to wag. He was a mangy looking dog but she was trying to loosing up so she kept playing with the dog anyway.

"Let's stop the world! You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time." they sang together as she held the dog close. "Let's stop the world! There's nothing you and I won't do...Let's stop the world... I'll stop the world and melt with you..." Once they were done singing the dog jumped up and licked Mercedes in the face causing her to inch herself back.

"Hey! Hey! Watch it now." she said as she giggled while Sam looked at her with the dog and nodded. "What?" she asked then put the dog down. Sam pushed his guitar aside and bent down to pat the dog before looking up at her.

"This is the one."

"Say what now?" Mercedes asked as the smile that was on her face went away. "What about the beagle that we saw earlier?" Sam quickly picked up the dog and allowed him to lick his face as Marley came walking over with a smile.

"You guys are life savers. Your live feed has made a lot of your followers call to see if they can adopt a dog." Marley said with a smile then paused when she noticed Sam holding the dog. "Oh my...I see a pup has picked you." she walked over and rubbed his head. "This is McConaughey." she said as she looked at Sam smiled at Mercedes.

"Fate brought Hey Hey to us, babe." Sam said as Mercedes sighed then forced a smile on her face. "Come on, babe, look at him. McConaughey loves you." Sam held the pup up towards her and started talking to her. "Please take me mommy!We love you." he said in a joking manner but Mercedes eyes widened causing Sam to quickly correct himself. "I mean, McConaughey loves you."

"Okay, Sam," she smiled as she noticed the cameraman zooming in on her face for a reaction. "Let's adopt him and take him home with us." she walked over and rubbed McConaughey on the head as she stared at Sam wondering if he meant to say that he loved her or if it was an accident. Sam kept his eyes on McConaughey the entire time but he could feel her eyes on him. He slipped up and now he knew she would retreat. He wasn't even sure if he actually loved her. He only wanted to jokingly say that through the dog.

"Stacy's going to love this dog." Sam said as he tried to pretend as if he didn't know that she was looking at him. "Marley, let's get started on the paper work." he said as he smiled at Marley then looked back at Mercedes. "I'll be right back, babe. Here's the keys if you want to wait for me." he handed her the keys then gave her a kiss on the cheek before whispering. "Thank you for doing this."

* * *

Mercedes decided to step out to the car as the sound of all the dogs barking was starting to get to her. She could barely hear herself freak out of over Sam's possible first I love you. Was she ready to hear I love you from Sam? Hell, was he ready? They were still in their getting to know you phase. She was still wondering if the feelings she was having him were real and not because she was trying to prove that she could make this marriage work. She cared about him and she cared about being with someone that she could be happy with. She wondered if Sam was that one for her because lately he did keep her smiling in more ways then just one. She was just about to reach the car when she heard someone say her name, causing her turn in their direction.

"Mercedes Jones." she heard her name again. She turned to see Anthony leaning against his car as if he'd been waiting for her to come out and ambush her. "Or should I call you Mrs. Evans, now? That's your last name now right?" he asked with a smile as she walked over to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she looked at the cameraman that followed her. Just what she needed was for America to see her shooting the breeze with a fine ass black man like Anthony just after he sort of professed his undying love to her. Or something close to it. "And, I'm actually hyphenated, but you can call me Mercedes."

"You used to let me call you sweet cheeks." he responded as he smiled at her. "You, uh, never responded to my message for the coffee date..."

"Because I am married now and..."

"...and it's just coffee, babe." Anthony said interrupting her as she nervously looked behind her to see if Sam was coming. "And, you're not really married. This is just a TV show and when all this is done you can get it annulled then we can see if things can work for us." he explained. If he had said he wanted to work things out a year ago she would have jumped at the opportunity but she just couldn't help but feel he wasn't sincere. They remained friends for years after they broke up and he never once said he wanted another chance with her.

"Why now?" she asked softly as if she were asking herself more than she was asking him for the answer. He chuckled as if she were crazy for asking that question but answered it anyway.

"I was young and dumb when we broke up and I...I don't want to interfere with what you're trying to do with this show and all. I just want to offer you something...real." he stepped closer and took her hand and smiled as he stared in her eyes. "At least with me, you won't have to wonder if this is all for a million dollars."

"Ant..."

"Just think about it, and hit me back on Facebook. I sent you a message." He said and swiftly stepped back into his car. Mercedes stared as he drove off. Everything in her was telling herself not to entertain Anthony but there was a small seed that was planted. And she needed to make sure she did water that seed.

"Babe, who was that?" Sam asked as he walked over to her with a broad smile on his face and McConaughey trailing behind him on a leash. In his hand he had a crate, a dog bed, and dog food stuck under his armpits.

"What took you so long?" she asked instead as she tried to help him with some of the things he was juggling.

"I got to thinking that Hey Hey the second would need these things and next thing you know I was making Marley semi rich." he smiled as he put the items in the back of the car. "Marley said that we really helped with the dogs so she gave us a discount." he smiled and picked up McConaughey and pointed at a nice leather collar and name tag around his neck. "Got this for a steal, babe." he bragged as he placed the dog into the car.

"Awesome baby." Mercedes said with a false smile. Her mind was still wondering if Anthony subscribed to watch the show online. She wondered if that's how he knew where to find her and if he'd been watching just how much did he watch. Either way she was not about to jeopardize what she had with Sam without knowing for sure if what they had was read. And from what they'd shared so far, she would be lying if she wasn't happy with Sam.

"Are you okay, Mercedes?" Sam asked when he noticed her staring pensively at the same spot. She threw a quick glance his way and smiled.

"I'm just really happy that I'm here with you." she said causing him to smile at her and opened the door for her.

"Let's go introduce McConaughey to Stacy."

* * *

When they got to the house, they barely made it to the door when Penny came running to the door. She'd been calling them nonstop but of course they didn't hear it over the dogs barking excessively. And with all the excitement of getting McConaughey, they didn't even think about the phone.

"Hey, I've been calling you guys for hours. Did you not get my message?" Penny asked as Sam and Mercedes both looked at her then at each other.

"Uh...we were at a dog shelter so we probably didn't hear it." Sam said as he pulled his phone out and noticed the many messages that was on his phone. "Oh wow...is everything okay with Stacy?" he asked as he handed the leash to Mercedes and ran inside. He left them behind and ran straight to Stacy's room. Mercedes followed behind with McConaughey in hand as she turned to Penny.

"What's going on, Penny?"

"It's Stacy." Penny said as Mercedes looked towards where Stacy's room was located and heard the sound of two voices.

"Is someone else here?" Mercedes asked as Penny shook her head. Mercedes walked over to the room and a smile crept on her face as Sam was hugging Stacy and she was hugging him back. "Praise." She stood at the doorway with McConaughey and just watched the happy reunion. Watching him hug her made her realize that she really wanted to be there with him. She wanted to experience these happy moments with him along with the sad ones.

"Sammy!" Stacy whimpered. Sam couldn't believe he wasn't there to see her open her eyes for the first time but he was happy he was there now. He held her so tight that he was afraid for a second that he might make her lose conscious again.

"Sorry Stace...am I hurting you?" he smiled and wiped the tear that fell from her face. "Look at you baby sis. You have no idea how long I've been waiting..." he stopped as he felt choked up.

"I know, Sammy." she smiled. "I heard you." she nodded before continuing. "I listened to all the one sided conversations you've had with me. Some...I wish...you could have kept to yourself." Stacy said before looking over towards the door. "Are you Mercedes?" Stacy asked as she smiled at Mercedes. Sam turned to look back at Mercedes and walked over to her, taking her by the hand.

"Stacy, this is my...wife, Mercedes." Sam said as he guided her over to Stacy. "Mercedes...this is Stacy."

"Hey Stacy." Mercedes said shyly as she quickly wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek. "This has got to be a miracle." Mercedes said as she reached over and hugged Stacy. McConaughey barked and wagged his tail causing Stacy to look down at the dog.

"You guys picked a dog!"

"Yeah, this is McConaughey." Mercedes said with a smile before wiping another tear from her eyes. Sam smiled at her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Stacy heard everything since he married Mercedes and she could tell that Sam was happy.

"Cute name." she smiled then looked up at Sam and Mercedes. "So, we're on a TV show, huh?" she asked as they all laughed.

* * *

Rachel couldn't believe the golden nugget of a show the day was presenting. First a tear jerker dog show that would put Sarah McLachlan to shame and now Stacy wakes up. She couldn't write these golden moments. Will Schuester had to see the ratings soaring to new heights after this episode airs. She slowly closed her laptop as the person she was waiting to meet finally arrived. She'd called him earlier with a proposition but she had a second one for him and he needed to sign a contract for it all to work.

"You wanted to meet with me?" he said as he sat in the seat opposite of her.

"Yes Anthony, I have a proposition for you." she smiled and slid the letter to him and watched as he read what was in the letter. "Now this morning I gave you the hint that Mercedes would be at Pick a pup today and I watched you with her. All of America is already saying that she should meet with you for coffee and more." she could see the smile creeping on the corner of his lips. "They feel she's better suited with you. The two of you have history, right?"

"Yeah?" he replied before putting the letter back down on the table.

"I can help you get Mercedes and more, if you're interested." Rachel added then slid the letter closer to him. "If you sign this right here, I can get you fifty thousand and Mercedes." he looked down at the letter then back at Rachel.

"You want me to break them up?"

"Can you do it?"

"I thought you wanted their marriage to work?"

"I want my show to work and nothing brings rating more than relationship drama and scandal." Rachel said with a smile as she slid a pen towards him.

"All I have to do is break them up?"

"And the money is all yours, guaranteed." Rachel smiled as she watched him look at the letter again. She couldn't wait to show the letter to Will. She cleared her throat and nodded towards him till he picked up the pen and slowly signed the letter before handing her the letter.

"Mercedes will never know?"

"I promise." She was lying but she didn't care. This was just the first part of her plan of executing what Will wanted. The next part of her plan was going to get Sam a temptation he couldn't ignore.

* * *

 **Alright as you can see I wrote my author's note at the bottom. Shock! Oh MY! Well Lamimi said I discourage some of you when I say certain things in my auth note so I am writing them here now. lol...as u can see Rachel is up to no good. Anthony is up to something...Stacy is up yayyyyyyy.**

 **Some of you want Mercedes to punch Rachel, I might put that in the story just for you all lol**


	13. Episode 11- Sam Quits

So much had happened since Stacy woke up. The dog was already attached to Stacy to the point that he barely wanted to leave her side. Sam was practically the same; the only difference was that he actually did go everywhere she went. He even slowly stopped reporting to work at the warehouse. He figured that everyone knew about Stacy waking up by now and that Kurt would have understood. Mercedes on the other hand, he decided he would tell her about quitting later. Sam felt that Stacy needed him more now to take her to her physical therapy and appointments. At first, Penny was able to take her but Sam would always tell her to just stay behind and that he'd do it. The only person he confessed to was Artie, and it was only because he came over that day to see Stacy and probed him.

"How is it that you're beating me at a game you've only learned how to play two seconds ago?" Artie asked as Stacy smiled at him proudly.

"I'm a quick learner." Stacy replied as Artie shook his head. Sam knew Artie was happy to see Stacy awake as well but he was probably even more happy to have a pal in a wheelchair with him.

"Go easy on em, sis, that's what I usually do." Sam lied as Artie rolled his eyes at him.

"Don't listen to Sam. He loses to me on a regular at this game."

"I think I am ready to drive, Sam." Stacy said as she cut the corner to land herself in first place with Artie trailing behind her.

"Not yet, sis, let's get you out of that wheelchair first and in school." Sam responded then sat next to her and grabbed the remote from her. She sighed and smiled at him before rolling off to her bedroom with Hey Hey in tow following her close behind. "Let's go for a round." He said as Artie prepared himself for an easy win.

"She doesn't look too excited about going to school. Have you put some thought into homeschooling her for a while so that she isn't so behind everyone?"

"Mercedes was actually looking into that and seeing if it was something the show would spring for to help her get caught up." Sam responded. He was lucky she thought of that because Sam had no idea where to start. He always wished that Stacy would wake up but he never thought of life after she woke up. How she would be three years behind her age and no longer the little preteen that he was used to. Either way he wasn't ready to let her back into the mean world or in high school until he felt she was ready. "In the meantime, I'll just keep taking her to her physical therapy sessions and doctor's appointment."

"Aren't you going to work today?" Artie asked after pausing the game then looking his way. Sam was hoping he wouldn't have to address this. He felt if no one asked about it then he could easily just say he was overwhelmed with Stacy and forgot it all.

"Uh…I'm off today." Sam quickly responded before pressing start on his controller again. Sam pretended not to notice that Artie was still looking over at him and not playing the game.

"Didn't you say earlier that you were off yesterday too?"

"I…uh…yeah…I took a leave of absence to take Stacy to her therapist and stuff." Sam responded before pausing the game and walking towards the kitchen. He grabbed two beers and handed Artie one before heading back to the living room.

"Isn't that what Penny is for?"

"Well when we got back from therapy today, Rachel told me that Penny quit, so it's just me."

"How long is this leave going to be?"

"I don't know, Artie, my sister needs me to be there with her every step of the way. It's what my parents would have wanted." Sam replied.

" Oh Okay, I guess I can understand that." Artie replied before sipping his beer. They remained silent for a minute and returned to playing the game. Sam knew that Artie wasn't done asking questions. He always knew when Sam was withholding information. "So, what did Mercedes say about you quitting?"

"I didn't quit." Sam lied and sighed before mumbling that he hadn't mentioned it to Mercedes. Artie almost choked on his drink then looked back at Sam again in shock. He quickly paused the game and set the remote down to address the situation.

"First off Sam, I know you better than anyone. I love you like a brother and I know how you handle things. You're quitting or have already decided that you've quit. And secondly, Mercedes is going to be mad. She might even kill you...on national TV. And I think America might understand her doing it."

"No she won't. She'll understand that it's for Stacy. We both have decided to put her first within this whole deal. And we're almost on our third month so we'll have enough money that I can double on a race."

"Sam, she's not going to let you gamble a quarter mill."

"She will once I get to talking to her and explaining how it all works." Sam replied confidently even though inside he was nervous as hell. He'd been thinking of ways to tell her that he wanted to quit but every night he'd give up and they'd talk about other things instead. "I'll tell her about it today." Sam said more to himself then to Artie. He just needed to figure out if he should tell her in private to avoid America's opinions or to do it in front of them to avoid her killing him for real.

* * *

Mercedes couldn't wait to get home after work. That was practically the way she felt every day since Stacy woke up. She would come home to find Stacy wheeling around the house with Hey Hey running around behind her. She couldn't explain how much having Stacy awake had uplifted their spirits. Sam was in the best of spirits and she was attracted to how paternal he seemed with her. Since she woke up Sam was beating Mercedes home and he always looked so energized. She wasn't sure how he was doing it. She knew he was happy that Stacy was up but after working a long day she couldn't understand how he still committed to playing with her daily. She even remembered telling Tesla about it that morning when everyone had left her before she went to work. She took her dear sweet time getting ready assuming that everyone was with Stacy at her therapist appointment so she took the opportunity to talk to Tesla in the restroom downstairs.

"So you mean to tell me, Sam is working and taking her to her physical therapy? And then he's home before you fully energized?" Tesla asked with skepticism. "I don't know girl, something sounds fishy."

"Tes, he's really doing it. Have you subscribed to the online recordings or at least began watching the show?"

"Girl I have a newborn. I ain't got time to be watching you and Vanilla Ice getting jiggy with it."

"Really, Tes?" Mercedes rolled her eyes but continued anyway. "Anyway, like I was saying he's really stepping up his game. He did took like the first week she woke up off but after that he went back to work. He doesn't let Hey Hey run around the house and chew shit up. And sex...seems like it's getting better every night."

"So...y'all back to bumping uglies?"

"Things are really good with us, Tes." Mercedes responded beaming with pride. "I think we might actually make this marriage work. We're communicating better and we're honest about everything."

"Oh so y'all talked about having babies together?"

"Well..."

"Did you tell him that you took Plan B?"

"I don't see the point in telling Sam about me taking Plan B. Did you tell Matt when you got on birth control?"

"Uh hell yeah! He's my husband. I needed him to know that he ain't need to keep pulling out and spraying me..."

"Overshare! Overshare!" Mercedes screamed as Tesla continued to explain just how freaky her and her husband got.

"Just saying...you can't brag about communicating and honesty if you don't tell your husband about something that he obviously would want to know."

"Well bitch, my situation is different."

"Why? Because your revolution is televised?" Tesla asked causing Mercedes to laugh.

"No...but it's because...we're not in love."

"Didn't he tell you he loved you the other day?"

"Through a dog, Tesla and he's had plenty opportunity to tell me he loved me but he hasn't."

"And have you told him?"

"Tell him what?" Mercedes asked even though she knew what Tesla was asking. She'd wondered if she'd loved Sam after he'd said it. But she felt scared that she would allow herself to fall completely in love with him and he'd let her down or break her heart.

"That you love him."

"I don't..."

"You do..."

"I don't know." Mercedes responded cutting her off before she could say more.

"You know, bitch."

"Yo mama know, bitch."

"America knows, bitch." Tesla replied back. "Look, girl, if you love the boy just say it maybe he needs to hear you say it. Everyone knows he's already said it to you. Just say I love you back."

"I'll think about it."

"Don't think too long." Tesla said before they'd hung up with each other. And that was exactly what she did. She thought long and hard then decided that she would tell him that she loved him back but the opportunity never came because she'd chicken out at the last minute.

* * *

Penny stepped away from the door and went back to her room to see if what she was recording was audible at all. She hated that she was doing this to Mercedes. She'd grown to actually like her and she really thought they were a really cute couple. But she was offered since day one to record anything that Rachel couldn't hear on the hidden cameras and that she would be rewarded. For a while she just told Rachel she heard nothing special but Rachel told her she would get her replaced as Stacy's nurse if she didn't find something. So this was going to hopefully be all that she would need to get some money out of Rachel and keep her job.

"Ms. Berry, please." Penny said as she paced back and forth in Stacy's room. A few minutes later Rachel was on the phone and telling her to meet her outside in five minutes. She took a peek out the door to ensure that Mercedes wasn't out there before stepping out. She was a few seconds away from leaving the house undetected when Mercedes saw her at the door.

"Penny? Are you just getting back?" Mercedes asked looking as if she was trying to figure out how long Penny had been there.

"Uh yeah but I just realized I left something behind at the clinic."

"Oh okay." she said with a bright smile as Penny opened the door. "Uh, so where is Stacy?" she asked causing Penny to stop mid step.

"She's what I forgot." she mumbled before disappearing out the door. She wasn't sure if Mercedes heard what she said but she wanted to get out of there quick. She felt as if she was just stopped by the police while holding a kilo of drugs.

"Penny, I hope you have something good for me." Rachel said as she rubbed her hands together. Penny hated handing over her cellphone to her but she had bills that she to pay and that trumps it all.

"Before I give this to you...do you have the check?" Penny asked as she got into the car and closed the door behind her. Rachel smiled and handed Penny the check that she took out of her own bank account. It was only a few thousand but she planned to have Penny replaced. She was going to need this check soon. "You might want to fast forward a bit because they weren't talking about much. I think Mercedes loves Sam but she has a secret she's been keeping from Sam."

"What secret?" Rachel asked with a sinister smile.

"Apparently she took Plan B after their first sex encounter but Sam doesn't know about it and I think he's been talking about having babies."

"Yes, Sam's been a bit obsessed with that. I'm with Mercedes that he's jumping the gun but I know that I can use this." Rachel said with a smile. "This will go well with my other plan." Rachel quickly emailed the recording then deleted it from Penny's phone.

"Oh and I think Sam quit his job and Mercedes doesn't know about that either." Penny added. Rachel was a bit shocked to hear this because she really thought he was just taking a leave of absence. Either way, she was about use all of this to rain on their parade soon and close out a successful season. She barely even needed the year.

"Thanks for the information, Penny. America thanks you." Rachel smiled before placing an envelope in Penny's hand. "I just need you to sign this here."

"What's this?" Penny asked as she scanned the letter then took the pen that Rachel eagerly pushed in front of her. And as she signed the letter Rachel lied about its contents.

"It's just a letter saying that our conversations and things that happen while you're on the show will remain confidential."

"I sign one of these already." Penny said signing it any and handing it back to Rachel. Rachel smiled and placed the letter away then looked over at Penny. "Guess I'll go back to work." Penny said as she reached for the door. Rachel quickly placed her hand on Penny's and stopped with a phony smile on her face as usual.

"Oh no, I forgot to tell you, they have assigned Stacy a new nurse that will also help with her homeschooling." Rachel said. "Didn't Mercedes tell you? It was her idea to have you replaced. She just didn't see how you were useful and I think you've served your purpose." Rachel said before handing her cellphone back.

"Can...I...uh...can I at least get a ride home?" Penny asked. Rachel smiled at her and nodded as Penny sighed and sat back down.

"We can take you to the nearest bus stop."

* * *

Sam was still on the couch playing the same video game with Artie and Stacy when Mercedes finally made it home. Although he usually had Hey Hey sitting on Stacy's lap, today he was just running around the house enjoying himself. Mercedes ignored the fact that Sam had let Hey Hey running around. She was too excited about the conversation she'd prepared to have with Sam. Tesla's words played repeatedly on her mind the entire day and she couldn't wait to tell him. She smiled as she watch Stacy and Artie argue about the race as Sam tried to pick sides. She bent down and gave Hey Hey a pat on the head before walking over to Sam and draping her arms over him.

"Hey Artie! Hey Stace, how was therapy today?" she asked before placing a kiss on Sam's cheek. "Hey, babe, you got a minute to talk?" she whispered in his ear as Stacy spoke about her session.

"I think I felt slight tingling in my toes today. Soon, I can probably use just a cane to walk. And Sam said I can get my driver's license." Mercedes removed her arms from around her neck and smiled at Stacy before looking at Sam quizzically.

"I didn't say that." Sam responded quickly as he stood up and walked over to her. "Babe, what I told her is that you were looking into getting her home schooled and then we would talk about her driving."

"That's not what I heard." Stacy said with a smile as Hey Hey hopped into her lap. "Artie, what did you hear?"

"See no evil, hear no evil." Artie responded without even looking their way. Mercedes shook her head and chuckled before wrapping her arms around Sam once he got near her. Her heart was thumping as she thought of the fact that she was about to tell Sam that she loved him. He looked down at her and smiled before wrapping his arms around her then kissing her on her nose.

"You wanna take this to the bedroom?" he asked before kissing her lips.

"Not for that, Sam." she giggled. "I really want to talk to you about...us...and uh...our future...together." She was beyond nervous and prayed Sam wouldn't feel how hard her heart was thumping.

"Uh...yeah...we can..." Sam stated but stopped when Rachel came in through the door with a couple shopping bags in hand. Mercedes felt her blood pressure rising just at the sight of the woman but Sam rubbed her back immediately causing her to calm down just a bit. She refused to let the woman ruin her day.

"I come bearing gifts everybody." she sang before placing the bags down. "Where's the newly awaken Sleeping Beauty?" Rachel asked as she held a smaller well wrapped gift in her hands. Stacy smiled widely as Rachel walked over to her and took the box.

"What's this?" she asked as she looked at Sam then back at Rachel.

"Open it and see." Rachel sang again and smiled as Stacy quickly ripped the wrapping paper exposing a cellphone within.

"O...M...G! You got me a cellphone?" she squealed excitedly as she stared at the box lovingly. Artie rolled over to her and looked at the cellphone and nodded with approval.

"This is some high tech shit, Sam." Artie said as Sam slipped away from Mercedes to look at the cellphone.

"Uh...Rache...I don't know about this. It might be too early to give her a cellphone." Sam said as Stacy glared at her brother then looked at Mercedes with puppy dog eyes.

"Babe, let her have the phone. She's a teenager for crying out loud." Mercedes said reluctantly. She hated to admit that Rachel actually did something nice for the first time. What could her motives be other than to see the smile that was on the girl's face right then.

"I just thought she'd need a pick me up after finding out that Penny quit all of a sudden."

"Wait..Penny did what?" Mercedes asked in shock. "I saw her this morning. Why would she quit? I thought she loved working with Stacy."

"She did, Mercedes but she said it was tough working with the cameras or something like that." Rachel said before shrugging as if she didn't know more. "Either way, I have made some calls and hired her replacement who is also able to home school Stacy and get her caught up."

"Cool, I was worried that one of us would have to quit." Mercedes said with a sigh. "So when will she start. We have to make sure Stacy gets caught up as much as we can. And need someone willing to take her to all of her appointments. It's not like we can do it in between jobs." Mercedes said feeling a bit relieved that Penny was still going to get a nurse. She still wanted to know why Penny left. Earlier that morning she didn't seem upset but she did leave a bit abruptly. She wondered why Sam didn't call and tell her.

"Oh...I thought that's what Sam had been doing." Rachel said as Sam glared at her. Artie looked as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and Stacy was just in love with her cellphone.

"What do you mean? Sam, only takes her when he's off and when he gets a chance." Mercedes said as she looked between Rachel and Sam. "He's been at work just like I have."

"No, Mercedes, Sam has been the one taking Stacy to her appointments like a great brother. I am sure your mother would be so proud of you."

"Sam..."

"Mercedes, let me explain."

"Did you tell Kurt that you needed more time off or something?" Mercedes asked as she could tell that the answer was no from the look on everyone's face. "What's going on?"

"I've decided to...uh...I mean...I wanted to talk to you about..."

"About what Sam?"

"Uh...can someone give me a ride home?" Artie asked.

"Babe, let's talk about this upstairs."

"No, Sam, seems like everybody knows about this but me. So just spit it out!" Mercedes said as she kept her eyes on Sam.

"Babe, it's nothing to get upset about. I just feel that I need to be here with Stacy while she's recovering."

"For what?"

"What do you mean for what?"

"Help me understand this, Sam. Are you saying you need more time or...what? What are you saying?"

"Well, babe, I was thinking about telling Kurt that I quit." Sam said as Mercedes slowly closed her eyes. She mentally counted to ten to calm herself down. She knew that this was an outburst that Rachel wanted to see. And the last thing she wanted to do was blow up on Sam in front of everybody, especially Stacy. She opened her eyes and spread a phony smile on her face and shook her head.

"Okay." she said before making her way to the stairs. Sam started to follow behind but stopped just as got to the bottom of the stairs. "Sam...don't..." she said without looking his way then continued her way up the stairs then into the bathroom as she closed the door behind her. A few minutes later the bathroom door opened and Sam stepped inside then leaned on the sink. She sat at the edge of the tub, trying to figure out what to say without sounding insensitive. If Stacy was her sister, would she have quit her job? Would she want to be close to her every second as well? Or was this just another sign that Sam was not the type to stay committed to anything? Was this a sign that once this experiment was over Sam would be ready to call it quits too? Or was she overthinking it all again? She always overlooked the red flags and Sam had shown all of his early but yet she was already falling for him.

"Can you say something?" Sam asked finally causing her to look up at him.

"I don't want to say something that I will regret."

"Uh...okay...um, well look, I can go back to work if it's upsetting you this much."

"It's not..." she stopped when she realized she was about to lie. She was definitely mad that he was quitting especially after he made such a big deal about being the breadwinner. "I'm mad because I have bragging like an idiot about how you're doing it all and working. I was really proud of the man you were showing me, but you..." she paused and shook her head then took a deep breath and continued. "I get it. Stacy needs you...and you need Stacy. You spent all those years watching her without being able to do anything for her so now you feel you gotta make up for it." she continue. "Stacy needs you to be strong for her. You can be that and still continue with your life." she continued to stare down at her feet before slowly looking at Sam. "But, if you really want to quit your job...then I guess..." she shrugged. "You're grown." she was hoping that he'd understand that she was basically telling that he needed to keep his job, but she wanted to also sound supportive. "I mean we're already almost at three months of being married. So we're getting a quarter mill, right?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Sam said suddenly allowing a smile to spread on his lips as he went down on his knee in front of her. "I was thinking that I can take the money we make and flip it on a bet...and who knows we can tell Rachel we quit. I can flip a quarter mill on a bet and make triple the million." Sam said causing her heart to drop. He was explaining his plan for the money but all Mercedes heard was that Sam didn't even want to wait the full year with her. He had no idea that she was hurt as she pretended to listen to him. "I mean, we made it passed two months. I say we take Rachel for all that she's got." Sam continued as Mercedes nodded. "Thanks for understanding, babe." Sam said as he hugged her. She allowed him to hug her but her mind was already reeling.

Rachel offered to take Artie home but he decided to stay just in case Sam and Mercedes argument went longer than he thought it would. Rachel was happy that she was able to effortless ruin Mercedes plans to confess her feelings to Sam. The argument wasn't as loud as she expected it to be but it was good enough. And things were to get worse when Stacy's new nurse was supposed to report to work the next day. Everything was going according to plan and now all she needed was Anthony to do his part. Because at that moment, she was doing her part as she emailed the recording to Sam's email. She wasn't sure how quickly he checked his email but she was planning on making sure that he did when she needed him to do it.

* * *

The next morning, Sam went for his morning run and felt as if he had a huge weight lifted off his shoulder. He was really afraid that she was going to be mad about his plan to bet their money but she listened to him talk about it the entire night. She didn't say much but she didn't tell him no either so he just took that as a yes. He felt that he would just take some of the money he made with Kurt and show her what he used to do. When his mother died and left him with Stacy in her coma, his gambling helped them survive. And he needed to show her how he handed it. On his way back from his morning run, he found her on the deck looking out at the beach sipping her coffee.

"Babe, I'm going to shower. What time are you heading out for work?" he asked as he looked out at her. She didn't turn to look his way but she responded anyway.

"In a few, I just need a minute to collect my thoughts." she replied. Sam wanted to ask her but he caught whiff of his pits and decided he'd ask her when he got out of the shower.

Once Sam left, Mercedes pulled out her cellphone and looked at the message request that was sitting in her Facebook inbox. She knew who it was and knew that he was waiting for her to reply but she couldn't do it. She couldn't understand why she always fell in love with the wrong type of guys. She hated the fact that she allowed herself to forget that this was all about the money and had nothing to do with love. Either way, she needed to focus on herself and get back to why she was doing this as well. The money she was going to win she'd pay off her debt and get her singing career off the table. She decided she needed to get on her way to work. So she made her way to the kitchen to place the mug in the sink when the bell rang. She walked over to the door and opened it to see one of the prettiest blonde's she'd ever seen.

"Uh...Hi, I'm Quinn Fabray. I was hired to be Stacy's new nurse and teacher." Quinn said as Mercedes took her hand and shook it.

"Oh yeah, you start today? That was quick. I'm Mercedes. Stacy is still sleeping and Sam is upstairs in the ..." she stopped just as Sam came down with just a towel wrapped around his midsection holding a towel to his face as he tussled his hair with it. "Oh, well here he is."

"Babe..." he said then stopped when he noticed Quinn at the door. "Quinn?"

"You know her?" Mercedes asked as she looked between them. Quinn smiled and nodded before responding.

"We...uh...went to school together and I guess briefly dated as kids." Quinn responded. Sam stood there dumbfounded as Mercedes nose flared knowing this was one of Rachel's tricks. Although she was jealous, she'd already said to herself that she was going to focus on her career and not allow her feelings for Sam to make her lose herself.

"I guess you two have a lot of catching up to do." Mercedes said as she stepped aside for Quinn to enter. Sam looked at Mercedes and tried to pull her in for a kiss but she just slipped by and continued to the car before driving away.

"Is everything okay with you two?" Quinn asked as Sam closed the door behind them.

"Yeah...we uh...she's not much of a morning person." Sam lied. He couldn't believe she was standing just as pretty as she was back in high school but even with that he wanted to know why Mercedes was being so quiet. "I think I did something wrong." Sam said as he leaned on the counter. "I think she might be mad at me about something but I am not sure if it is what I think it is."

"You're a man, what's new." Quinn replied with a smile. She was shocked to see how much he'd grown but he was still the same at the same time."Is there somewhere that we can talk?" Quinn asked before stepping closer. Sam felt a bit nervous about having her this close to help while he was in just a towel, so he took a small step back. "There's something that I have to tell you without..." she motioned towards the cameras then smiled when Sam finally caught her drift.

"Uh...yeah, follow me let me give you a tour." Sam said as he guided her up the stairs. The cameraman followed but stopped when Sam and Quinn entered the bathroom. "This is the only place where there are no cameras." Sam stated as she nodded and smiled.

"I know. I'm a subscriber. I've kinda been watching ever since your producer Rachel called me. I binged watched you two and I gotta say you two are really cute together."

"Yeah?" Sam asked as he wondered if she'd gotten a little jealous about seeing him with Mercedes.

At first, I wanted to tell Rachel to go to hell but I realized that she's been manipulating the two of you since day one. And just when I thought you two had her by the bag, she found a new way to get between you two."

"Her games has only gotten us stronger."

"I don't know. I'm a woman and I know how to read women very well. Mercedes has had it with you. I think Rachel has finally succeeded."

"What? No. Mercedes...she's strong willed and I told her something recently that has her in her head. But I have a plan to make her see that I didn't just quit for any reason."

"Sam, seriously, go get your job back. And on your lunch break go see her and take on a romantic lunch. And tell her that you love her."

"Wait...what?" Sam asked pretending as if he hadn't thought about it already. When it accidentally slipped out he wasn't ready to say it to her yet.

"Tell her...or understand that you are pushing her right into the arms of another man. Do the right thing, we're rooting for the two of you." Quinn stated before stepping out of the bathroom and leaving Sam behind.

* * *

 **Hey everybody, I am so sorry it took me forever to update. I was writing and my freaking computer updated as I was typing. I was so mad I almost threw my laptop out the window. Anyway, how do you all feel about Quinn not being a threat lol I wonder how many of you quit reading when they up to the bathroom together lol.  
**

 **How do y'all feel about Penny getting fired lol?**

 **Do you think Mercedes is done with Sam?**

 **Find out what happens in the next episode...**

 **Anyway, now to update Life Goes on...**


	14. Episode 12- The Proposition

**Thank you guys for patiently waiting for me to update. If you follow me on Tumblr you would know that I have been under the weather lately. I didn't want to post a half ass update. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Mercedes was a mess at work after leaving Sam that morning. She couldn't concentrate on anything and Kurt noticed it from the minute she walked in. He tried to ask her if she was okay or if she needed the day off but she just unconvincingly told him that she was fine. And she was everything but fine. Sam's idea to quit the show had her in a funk. And the new nurse was someone Sam knew and she was pretty, it was obvious that she needed to focus on herself now. She tried to think of how she could launch her career but Sam kept popping up and she would find herself just staring off into space. She knew Rachel had something to do with Quinn being hired but she couldn't see Sam resisting her.

"Mercedes, seriously, are you okay?" Kurt asked as he watched her stare off into nothing. "You've been standing in that same spot for thirty minutes doing nothing." Mercedes looked over at him and pretended as if she was looking at something on the computer. They were supposed to running down all the things they needed to prep for a show Kurt was launching, but instead she was stuck in her head about Sam.

"I was trying to remember something." she lied. She wished she could just open up to Kurt and just blurt out that she was having trouble in paradise. She wished she was more opened to other feedback as most people were. She wished she could call Tesla and tell her everything that was happening but she kind of knew what her bestie would tell her. She'd tell her to just talk to Sam and for some reason she seemed to suck at communicating when she was upset with Sam.

"Maybe you need and extended lunch break, huh? How about you take a two hour break and come back refreshed? Go get a massage or a manipedi or something." Kurt suggested. He felt for the poor girl. Working on anything with Rachel always had someone looking the way she did. Rachel was always self centered and evil without even knowing that she was really hurting someone in her quest for whatever she was after. A few times in high school he'd wanted to slap her into reality.

"Kurt, thanks but no, you need me here. We are short a male model and I was just trying to rack my brain on who we could get on such short notice." she lied again.

"Don't worry about it. I will find somebody. I am sure someone out there owes me a favor." Kurt replied with a smile. "Now go or you're fired." he added with a slight push to her shoulders. She looked at him and then nodded as she grabbed her purse.

"Okay...I guess I can go to Le Cafe and people watch from outside."

"Exactly! And the weather is nice out today so I am pretty sure they opened the patio." Kurt smiled as he watched her turn off her computer then make her way to the door.

"If you need me..."

"Mercedes...just go and enjoy the two hours. Clear your head. I'll be here." Kurt said cutting her off. Mercedes smiled before finally leaving knowing that she really needed the time off. Between all the crap that was flooding her brain, Anthony had been relentlessly messaging her. He wasn't saying much but she just didn't have time to deal with him.

Mercedes made it to Le Cafe and as Kurt said the weather was nice enough that she was allowed to eat out on the patio and watch as L.A. folk walked around and shopped. She couldn't imagine living anywhere else. And if she were to launch her career she would need to be right there in the mix of the rich and famous. She thought being on Millionaire Love would help her find love and launch her career. She was actually starting to believe it but yet here she was, questioning her marriage and wondering how to launch her career. She had been singing on the show for what she felt was every episode, but yet, she hasn't received any offers or calls from any labels. She didn't want her confidence to hit a record low but she was feeling rejected from all about her was making it impossible for her to keep a man and make a great singing career? She was about to call Sam and talk to him about her decision when she received a text message from Kurt about hiring Sam as a model for the showcase. And just as she was about hit the call button on her phone, Anthony showed up at her table then sat in front of her.

"Anthony, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked as she looked around then back at him with annoyance. "Are you stalking me?"

"It would seem like I was...but I was in the neighborhood meeting up with a friend of mine at their studio." he smiled. Rachel had already told him what he needed to say and he knew it would work. If Mercedes was at all like the Mercedes he dated in high school, she would do anything to be in a studio. Rachel also told him that many labels were interested in signing her and gave him the go to setting up the meeting to fulfill his quest. He couldn't believe how easy Rachel was making things for him.

"What friend of yours with a studio?" Mercedes asked as her interest was piqued. Being in L.A. it was hard to befriend a celebrity if you didn't know where to look but if you played your cards right you just might rub elbows with someone that could be your door in.

"You know Usher, right?"

"Usher!" Mercedes repeated in shock. "Your friend is Usher?"

"No..." he laughed. "The studio belongs to Usher and I was talking to my friend, who happens to have been signed to Usher's new label. He was talking about how Usher is looking for female singer and my mind immediately went to you." he added and smiled when he noticed the look of shock still on her face. "You have the best voice I have ever heard and I sent Usher a clip of you singing to that White husband of yours..."

"You mean Sam." she interjected then felt her heart dipping as she had finally gotten him off her mind and now he was back on it.

"Yeah...that guy." Anthony replied. "I explained to Usher that none of that crap on the show was real except for your singing...so he's interested in signing you off rip." Anthony lied again. All of this was discussions Rachel had with Usher. Anthony never got to meet or speak with Usher yet, but Rachel reassured him that he would get that chance once he sealed the deal.

"Are you serious right now?"

"Dead ass, girl! Would I lie to you?" he asked her then watched as she sat back and thought about it. Mercedes wasn't sure if she could trust him but what would she lose if she decided to do this? If he was lying then she'd be pissed at him and move on but if he was telling the truth and she didn't believe him, she'd hate herself. She wondered what Sam would say then if she was offered this deal? Would he want to quit what they had or stick it through? "That's why I've been trying to hit you up. I mean, I was a bit hurt when you removed me from your friend list. Thought we were better than that but I know you did it for that show you're on."

"Yeah...I needed to be committed to the marriage."

"I get it." he said reaching over to hold her hand. "But based off the shows rule, you only need to make it to three months to get a quarter mill. You're almost there. You can leave him after that and we can get back together and launch your career." he added with a smile even though she suddenly looked sad. "That's what you always wanted, right? For us to be together and to have that bad ass singing career. I can already see you on stage now accepting your first Grammy and thanking your real proud husband...me." Anthony added and smiled wider when she looked down at their hands.

"Uh..." Mercedes was beyond speechless. She looked down at her hand and how his was placed right next to her wedding ring. It all just made her think about Sam. Sure, she'd always wanted to be with Anthony and a singer, but he never mentioned marrying her before. Why was he now interested because she was about to be signed with Usher, potentially. If things didn't work with Sam, she was not about to jump into things with Anthony. She needed to know that he was with her because he still had feelings for her and not because she was about to make it big.

"I mean, Mercedes, think about it. You don't really think that guy is really going to want to stay married to you for real, do you? He's only doing it for the money. He's looking out for himself and his little sister, which I get. But who's looking out for you? You have the chance now to make your dreams come true. Don't let this show get in the way of that." Anthony said as he felt her slipping away. He couldn't believe she was really into that surfer guy. He needed to finish off whatever thoughts she had of him. "Look, he's not christian like you, he doesn't share your beliefs and he doesn't understand your struggle. You need to be with someone like you. Someone like me." Anthony said again as he held her hand tighter. She looked down at their hands again then back up at him. He wasn't sure what she was thinking but her next few words came out of her mouth so softly and before he knew what was happening she was hugging him. He held her close for longer than she felt necessary and she wanted to push him back but instead she kept hugging him anyway.

* * *

Sam rushed over to Kurt's office unsure of what he was going to say to Mercedes. He just knew from what Quinn said and how Mercedes left that he definitely needed to talk to her. When he got to Kurt's office he ran into Kurt instead. He decided that he could try to get his job back and then show Mercedes that he wasn't losing focus even though he didn't want to work at the warehouse. He just wanted to make a living a different way and working at the warehouse just reminded him of how he was when his mother passed away. And with Stacy up, he didn't want to keep reliving that life again. He wanted to focus on the life he had now, as a husband to Mercedes and a big brother to Stacy with a dog called Hey Hey...without the TVs. He looked over to where the cameraman was that followed him to Kurt office. Based off of Kurt's rules the cameraman had to stop recording while they were there. That was the life he wanted with Mercedes. No more cameras. He was tired of Rachel interfering with their life and if that meant losing out on a million dollars, he was opened to that.

"Did you come here for Mercedes, 'cause you just missed her by thirty minutes." Kurt said as he stepped out of his office to where Sam sat waiting on Mercedes. "She's having a longer lunch today."

"Uh...okay. I came to take her to lunch but I wanted to talk to you about going back to the warehouse." Sam replied. Kurt stopped mid step as he was about to put his shades on then looked at Sam for a minute.

"Oh...I thought you weren't ready with your sister needing you and all." Kurt responded as he looked at Sam. "I know how stressful all of that can be. When I was in high school, my father was in a brief coma and when he woke up I wanted to be by his side every second."

"Yeah, I took the time I felt necessary but I think I have to get back out there. So I just wanted to see if it was okay that I go back to work now." he said. Sam really didn't want to go back to work but if he needed to get the job back like Quinn suggested.

"Hmmm." Kurt responded as he looked at his phone then back at Sam again. He hadn't noticed it before that Sam had very nice features. If he had a better stylist he would have been quite the looker as well. "I have already hired someone to replace you. I figured you were going to need more time with your sister." he watched as Sam frowned but nodded his head as if he understood something that wasn't said. "But, don't fret I have something better for you to do. Have you modeled before?"

"Uh...I was in a calendar for my high school once." he responded with a smirk as they both walked out the door together.

"Good. I will have Mercedes give you the details. You can meet her at Le Cafe, and I will text her the deets." Kurt said as he quickly answered his phone and walked in the opposite direction from Sam.

Sam arrived at the restaurant and noticed Mercedes talking to the same guy that was there when they got Hey Hey. Sam felt a nervous feeling in his stomach as he watched him reach over and hold her hands. The cameraman zoomed in on Sam's face and he could just feel the viewers judging him as he watched Mercedes not move her hand away and he could have sworn he saw her smile at him. What was he telling her? And how long had she been meeting up with him at this cafe. Sam was about to interrupt their chat when he received a notification on his phone that said he had to listen to the message. Sam clicked the message and pressed play as Mercedes and her friend Tesla's voice started to play.

"Oh so y'all talked about having babies together?"

"Well..."

"Didn't see the point in telling Sam about me taking Plan B. Did you tell Matt when you got on birth control?"

"Uh hell yeah! He's my husband. I needed him to know that he ain't need to keep pulling out and spraying me..."

"Overshare! Overshare!" Sam heard Mercedes screaming causing it to be hard to hear her friend Tesla continuing to explain just how freaky her and her husband got. Sam never knew Mercedes took Plan B but it kind of made sense and also confused him. He knew they had unprotected sex a bit early in the relationship but they were married. Why would she do that and not discuss it with him? And what confused him the most was that she was always talking about being a christian so he thought she'd be against doing something like that.

"Just saying...you can't brag about communicating and honesty if you don't tell your husband about something that he obviously would want to know." Sam was shocked to hear Tesla having his back. He continued to nod his head as he listened to the message and simultaneously looked at Mercedes talking to Anthony.

"Well bitch, my situation is different."

"Why? Because your revolution is televised?" Tesla asked causing Mercedes to laugh. Sam was sure she meant that things were different because they jumped into the bathroom and had sex before they built a solid relationship. But he thought they were at least heading in that direction.

"No...but it's because...we're not in love." he heard Mercedes say and at that same moment he watched her hug Anthony with a smile on her face. He felt his heart drop to the ground. He hadn't said it to her without using Hey Hey's body as a shield but he at least thought it was conveyed through their daily activities together. He watched as she smiled and hugged her friend then felt as if he should just leave and not say a word. But he had kept quiet too long and this was not the first time that man had shown up. He was not going to let it go. He placed his phone in his pocket then marched over to where they were as the cameraman raced to keep up with him as if they were on an episode of Cheaters. Sam quickly pulled up a chair and sat next to them.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked causing the two of them to part and look his way. Mercedes smiled at him but her friend glared at Sam as if he had indeed interrupted something.

"Oh hey, Sam, uh...I was just about to call you." Mercedes responded as she moved away from her friend then stared nervously at Sam and the cameras. Sam hated that the cameras were there but he was tired of shying away from what he wanted to say simply because of the cameras. If America wanted to see what happened within a real marriage then they needed to know it wasn't always rainbows, that their were stormy days as well. They needed to see that they could stand the rain and bad times.

"Yeah, I bet you were." Sam retorted as he kept his eyes on the other man at the table. He wanted to punch the smug look off of his face but he first wanted to know who he was and why he was there to begin with.

"I really was...I just got a message from Kurt..."

"Yeah, uh...I'm Sam and you are?" Sam asked cutting Mercedes off as he kept his eyes on the man glaring back at him. "I've seen you around before. Is there a reason why you're always around my wife?"

"Sam!"

"I'm Anthony, a friend of hers and we had a thing before..." he paused to look at Mercedes and smiled. "A real thing." he added before looking back at Sam and cocking his head to the side. Sam hated to admit that him saying that did affect him as he heard Mercedes' words on the recording implying that what they had wasn't anywhere as real as what her friend Tesla had.

"Anthony!"

"I guess the operative word there was _had_ , ain't it?"

"Guys, calm down."

"No you calm down, Mercedes!" Sam responded and stood up pushing his chair back to where it was. Anthony quickly stood to his feet as well and pushed his chair away. "Is this what you've been doing on your lunch hour. Meeting up with your ex boyfriends?"

"Sam, can we talk about this later?" Mercedes asked as she stood up and made her way in between the two.

"Why? Because the cameras are here? They're always here! Always watching and always recording!" he began raising his voice higher. Mercedes looked around uncomfortably wondering why he seemed so mad. She'd never seen his jealous side before and it was a bit sexy and confusing. Not too long ago he was just admitting that he wanted to call it quits on the show and now he was mad because he caught her with an ex?

"Please Sam." she responded softly as she placed her hand on his chest to calm him down. Sam kept his eyes on Anthony as he kept a smug grin on his face that made Sam everything but calm.

"What is he doing here with you, Mercedes?" Sam asked as he finally looked down at Mercedes.

"I had a proposition for her and you were in fact interrupting." Anthony replied then raised his fist up as Sam began to lunge himself towards Anthony. Mercedes tried to hold him back but she couldn't as he was quicker than she was. A waiter from the restaurant came out to try and help calm the guys down. Sam and Anthony were standing chest to chest, huffing and puffing while arguing over each other. It was so loud no one could make out what they were even saying. "She needs a real man in her life!"

"Oh and that's you? Where were you before then?" Sam shouted back as the waiters tried to hold them away from each other. "You weren't a man then and you ain't a man now!"

"That don't mean shit coming from the likes of you, dude!" Anthony retorted. "Yo mama didn't even wanna be around you!" he added causing the bystanders to all look over at Sam. Mercedes couldn't believe Anthony said that as she looked back at him angrily.

"Anthony, what the hell?" Mercedes asked as she tried to stomp over to him. She was going to slap him for saying something like that but before she could she felt Sam pass by her like the Flash and before she knew what was happening they were brawling and she was being carried away from them. Sam knocked Anthony to the ground knocking over a couple tables as they rumbled on the ground. Anthony was a good fighter, he had to give him that as he felt a couple punches hit his face. Sam hated when people mentioned his mother and he hated even more that Anthony thought he could judge her without knowing her. He was fighting Anthony as if he represented everyone that ever talked trash about his mother. He was also fighting Anthony so that he would never question how manly he was and he'd stay away from Mercedes.

* * *

Rachel couldn't believe what she was watching. If she knew she could this gold nugget from the recording and having Anthony there, she would have brought the two together a lot earlier. She raced over to the restaurant so that she could pretend as if she was concerned. Once she got there, she watched as cops arrived and arrested both Sam and Anthony while Mercedes cried on the side line. Rachel checked her reflection in the mirror and started to give herself the speech she needed to give herself courage. It was something she always needed to hear to give her the push she needed when she was stressed.

"You are great! You deserve this!" she said to herself before smiling and stepping out of the car. She strutted over to where Mercedes was and put on awarding act of empathy and shock. "Mercedes, what in the world is going on?" she asked as she stood over where Mercedes sat on the curbside crying. Mercedes turned to looked as they placed Sam in the squad car. Sam was looking as if his heart had been broken to pieces by Mercedes in more ways than one and it was just as Rachel hoped he would. She was hoping this was all he needed to call it quits for good. She walked over to Sam and told him that she would bail him out as soon as possible before walking back to where Mercedes was now standing with her arms crossed. She ignored the look Anthony gave her as he waited to hear her say she'd bail him out too. She was not about to ruin her show by letting Mercedes see that he knew her. "Mercedes, don't worry I won't let Sam spend a night in that-" her words were cut short when she felt the back hand of Mercedes' hand hit across her cheek. The slap was so loud that it caused everyone to stop what they were doing and looked her way. Rachel held the side of her face in shock as a tear fell from her eye.

"You manipulative bitch!" Mercedes exclaimed. "This is all you! I know you made all this happen. Now you wanna try and act like you're shocked and concerned. Fuck all of that!" she said then held her finger up as one of the cops came to stop her from hitting Rachel again. "I'm good. I'm good! This bitch has been trying me since day one. Since day one, you've put me and Sam together, _knowing_ , that we were complete opposites..."

"But...but you love each other now...thanks to me."

"Thanks to you?" Mercedes asked before she started to laugh hysterically. "You want me to thank you for bringing us together as you've tried everything in your will power to tear us apart, all for the love of a good show. But what you failed to realize was that if you were more committed to helping us stay together then we might have made an even better show. You thought Sam and I couldn't make it together because I'm a feisty, sassy, christian black woman and Sam is happy go lucky white man with not a care in the world...but you were only looking at the surface. We are more than that. Sam's a loving caring brother and I am an open minded caring black woman...we are more than what you're trying to portray us as on T.V..."

"Mercedes I..."

"If your plan was to make us fall in love then tear us apart...then I guess you won. We're quitting the show." Mercedes said finally as a tear finally fell from her eyes. Rachel had tears in her eyes as well and it was not from the backhanded slap she'd just received. It was the look on Sam's face as he listened to Mercedes speak. The officer must have been a fan of the show because he removed the cuffs from Sam and allowed him to walk over to Mercedes. He slowly stepped to her from behind and from the look on Rachel's eyes, Mercedes turned to see him standing there behind her.

"Did you mean that?" he asked as he continued to step closer to her. She teared up even more as he came closer and nodded her head. "I'm in love with you too...and she didn't win." he said as smile tugged at the side of his lips. He reached up and wiped the tear that fell from her eyes with thumb before pulling her closer. "She can't tear us apart."

"I'm so sorry."

"Me too." he replied before kissing her softly as the bystanders all applauded them. Rachel watched them with a genuine smile on her face. She looked around at the crowd that surrounded them and realized what Mercedes was right. She thought the audience wanted drama but all they wanted to see was an impossible love story have a happy ending. She was suddenly having a change of heart and wanted the two to actually win the money.

"So...does this mean you will stay married on the show?" Rachel asked as they parted ways and looked over at her. The cop was putting Sam back in cuffs and escorting him back to the squad car as Mercedes followed close behind.

"We are staying married..." Sam responded then smiled at Mercedes before looking over at Rachel. "But we are quitting the show. We don't need your money." Sam added before the cop closed the door on him. Rachel stared in shock as she looked at Sam then over at Mercedes.

"Don't do this, Mercedes. If you quit now you don't win anything."

"No, Rachel, you're wrong." Mercedes replied before turning back to look at Sam as they drove away with him. "We'll win everything." and with that she walked off leaving Rachel where she stood. Rachel knew their had to be something that she could do to keep them on the show to at least appear on the finale. Because at the end of the day her research was proven. She paired two strangers and they bonded beyond anything people had just meeting randomly at a club or online. She had to redeem herself. She needed to present Mercedes and Sam with a proposition that even they wouldn't turn away from. And she needed to be able to redeem herself enough to have a second season.

* * *

 **Next episode will be the finale. I want to apologize for how long I took to update. I have really been under the weather with stress and a small war of titles with my publisher. Either way, you didn't come for my excuses.**

 **reviews: you all see the leading trend with these two is their communication issues. They lay it all down in the finale. And a couple of the old characters will return to the finale to answer some questions. If you have a question for Samcedes you can ask in the reviews I will put it in the finale as a question from the viewers(as if you were really a viewer of the show lol)**

 **I put a lil something special in there for those begging Mercedes to smack Rachel lol...and don't worry Samcedes will discuss the recording and everything on the finale. They will discuss everything, including what Mercedes said to Anthony before they hugged...let me know what you all think.**


	15. Episode 13- Reunion Finale

**OMG this is a long one. Sorry I took so long. I have been in training for this newest position at work. Hope you all enjoy this long as update.**

* * *

Rachel hit the ground running, trying to keep her show alive. At least for one more episode so that she could be guaranteed another season. Her first course of action was ensuring that both Sam and Anthony were released from jail. She was smart enough to keep Anthony in for at least one more day to make sure Sam and Anthony didn't cross paths for another round. Every day she begged Sam and Mercedes to return to the show but each day they would decline. She knew she needed more so the moment she found time she made her way to Will Schuester, to fight for her show. She wasn't sure what she was going to say but she was willing to do anything to save the show and Mercedes and Sam's marriage. She couldn't believe she actually brought two complete strangers together and made them fall in love. She always knew she was strangely powerful but the show had shown her just how powerful she could be. And now, she wanted to put her powers to good use.

"Will Schuester, please." Rachel said with a firm smile before walking towards his office where his receptionist directed her. She mentally told herself that she was great and deserved everything she ever wanted as she marched down to the conference room. In there Will was waiting with everyone on the board. They'd been waiting to hear from Rachel about her plans for the show. As far as they were concerned the show was over and they raked in more than they initially planned. And to top it off, Rachel came through for the show where they didn't even have to pay Mercedes or Sam. The minute Rachel stepped into the room everyone began to clap.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Rachel Berry!" Will Schuester said as he stood up and clapped for her as well as she slowly sat down and looked around the room smiling. "We had no idea you could produce such a great finale episode."

"Uh...thank you, but that wasn't a finale. That was merely twelve episodes and we want to show more. I think we can get more if we continue following Mercedes and Sam's progress with their marriage..."

"Rachel, sorry to interrupt you but your star couple already agreed to end the show. We gave you a task to end them and you came through. You should be proud."

"With all due respect, Mr. Schuester, I disagree." Rachel said as she looked around the room. She could tell that they had made up their minds but she wasn't about to give up. She was never the type to quit anything and she wasn't going to quit now. "I feel there's still more that can be explored. And the show has brought in so many viewers and raked in millions of dollars. I see no reason why we cannot find a way to get them back on to see through the year."

"I'm sorry Rachel but they broke the contract. I have news that they have already moved out of the Beach House and into a small house of their own in Riverside." Will said as he looked over to the other members of the board. "And we've all agreed that ending on a high note is a better way to go and to launch a new show idea that we want you to produce." he stood up and walked over to Rachel then handed her a script. "This will be the new show for next season."

"Stranger Things: A Love story?" Rachel read the title then looked up at Will in confusion. "Who wrote this?"

"A young writer named Tina, but don't worry about that. We want you to direct it. Just think of Netflix Stranger things and add love to it." Will said with an enthusiastic smile. "It will be scripted with a splice of horror and a dose of real love." he walked back to his seat then watched as Rachel scanned the script.

"This script is awful." Rachel said as she looked up to see Will frowning. "I really think we should just give Mercedes..."

"Rachel, forget it! The show is done! This will be our new show this season and we want you to produce it. We can look into tweaking things to your liking but it's already ready for productions." Rachel sighed as she tried to run through what she could do to help fix the mess she made. She looked at the script then back at will and shook her head.

"I won't do it!" she said as she slammed the script shut. "Only way that I will is if you agree to at least letting me record a real finale for the show with a guarantee that Mercedes and Sam would get the quarter that they were promised for lasting more than ninety days in the marriage."

"Rachel, don't miss out on this great opportunity for your future all because you finally have a conscience. And you saw Mercedes Jones, she was pretty adamant about being through with the show. How do you plan on getting her back on the show?" Will asked as he looked over to Rachel. Rachel thought about the one way she was initially planning on breaking the couple up and figured there's a way she can use it to get them back on the show for one last hoorah.

"Just leave that up to me." Rachel said with a smile.

"Okay, you get them back for a reunion finale and then they can get their quarter mill, but it will come from your check and not ours."

"That's perfectly fine by me, but I want triple my earnings for producing this Stranger Love story." Rachel said as she watched Will lean over to one of the partners then back at Rachel before smiling.

"You've got a deal."

* * *

Mercedes and Sam were already a month into living in Riverside when Rachel came knocking and begging for them to come back to the show. They weren't interested then and they weren't sure why she felt that coming back day after day was going to change things. Even Stacy was starting to get annoyed with seeing her and she was usually the happy go lucky one. Since they've left the show, Sam and Mercedes were pretty busy trying to make their marriage work. Sam was hired as male model for Kurt's new line which he was using to pay for Quinn's fees of assisting them with Stacy.

"What are you doing here, Rachel?" Stacy asked as she rolled her wheelchair back to allow her in. Rachel smiled at the girl then made a few steps in just as Quinn came in from the kitchen.

"What are you doing here again, Rachel?"

"I was just asking her the same thing." Stacy said as they both looked at Rachel. "Haven't you done enough to us? Just leave us alone."

"I'm not the bad guy..."

"You could've fooled me." Quinn responded then walked over to sit next to Stacy. "Either way, Mercedes and Sam are not here, Mercedes had a doctor's appointment and Stacy and I are busy with her lesson plan."

"Is Mercedes okay?"

"She's fine." Stack quickly said. "And I think it might be a while before they are back."

"I...uh...can wait for them. I think what I have to say will be something they would want to hear." Rachel said with a smile. After the meeting with Will she felt that this time around Sam and Mercedes will agree to the finale. Although they were doing well for themselves they could do so much better with this money and the other thing that Rachel pull through for them.

"Look Rachel, since you've been gone...and I mean, not meddling with their every day lives...things are just better." Quinn added. "Mercedes is still working with Kurt and Sam is now a model. I have continued working with Stacy and things are progressing. I've even become really close friends with Mercedes. And we've talked about so much including...you. So let me answer for them...They are not interested!" Quinn said before walking to the door and held it opened. Rachel debated getting up and leaving but stopped when she noticed Sam and Mercedes standing at the door.

"Oh hell to the no, Rachel! Do I need to slap you again?" Mercedes asked as she stomped in with Sam in tow. Rachel was expecting these reactions and she knew she deserved it. She was a bit shocked to see that Mercedes had gain a bit of her weight back but even with that her skin looked as if there was a glow to it.

"I can actually say now that after you slapped me I was initially angry and shocked but after viewing it on TV, it kind of made me appreciate the drama of it all. I couldn't script that if I wanted to and it made great TV."

"Yeah, Rache, that's all you care about is making great TV. You don't care what all of that drama was doing to our marriage." Sam said as he walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. "We're finally in a good place and we're not interested in ruin it all just to help you have a great show."

"Sam..."

"Girl you better leave, 'cause I can feel my pimp hand getting real strong." Mercedes said as she pretended as if her hand was shaking uncontrollably. Rachel looked back at the door then back at Mercedes before preparing to walk towards it then stopped.

"Look, Mercedes, what you said after you slapped me made me realize that I really wrong the two of you. Although I falsely brought you two together, I truly believe fate did it all. You two were meant to be together and I kept messing with you both because I kept looking at you as if you weren't really together. I didn't see that there was actual real love between you." she said as she watched Sam look over at Mercedes then she looked back him before looking back at Rachel. "You two are the real deal and I just want America to see that I was wrong." she waited to see if they would say something but when they didn't she continued towards the door.

"Rache..." Sam shouted out causing Rachel to turn. "We appreciate hearing you sort of apologize but it's already too late. We broke the contract and moved out of the Beach House. So even if we wanted to come back, it would all be pointless."

"Not necessarily." Rachel said with a smile. "I am willing offer you both the quarter mill if you come back for one last live reunion finale. It will be in front of a live audience and will give the viewers the closure they've been begging for."

"We each get a quarter mill?" Sam asked.

"No...unfortunately, I don't have enough to give you each a quarter mill."

"You mean to tell me the studio can't afford to give us each two hundred and fifty mill for a show that raked in millions?" Mercedes asked as she shook her head.

"No...the studio didn't want to give you anything at all."

"So where's the money coming from?" Sam asked as he looked from Mercedes to Rachel. Mercedes looked just as confused as Sam was then suddenly her eyes squinted at Rachel.

"Wait...so the studio doesn't want to pay us but you're willing to give us the money yourself?" Mercedes asked in shock.

"I feel after everything that I've done to you both...that you deserve it and more if I can truly do everything that I really want to do for you both."

"What do you mean? What else is there?" Sam asked.

"Just say yes to the reunion and you will find out on the show." Rachel added before looking towards Sam and Mercedes. She could feel Quinn and Stacy looking eagerly between them as she nervously waited for them to say yes.

"No funny business?" Mercedes asked.

"I promise."

"Your promises mean nothing. Get it in writing, you guys." Quinn said. Rachel smiled and pulled out the contracts then held it a bit longer.

"Make sure you read every line and if you don't like anything in there let me know before you sign it. I promise, no more funny business." she smiled as she handed the contract to Sam then smiled when he smiled back at Mercedes. She felt really good about it all and couldn't wait till she got the signed contract back from them.

* * *

 **Several Weeks Later**

"Live from Hollywood! I'm Blaine Anderson and this is A Million Dollar Love!" Blaine Anderson said as he smiled at the applauding crowd. "I know you all are just as excited as I have been that we are back for this reunion episode. We have been through so much with this amazing couple. From their first interviews, the marriage, the honeymoon to them moving into that amazing Beach House. We have seen them argue, work through their differences and then ultimately falling in love right before our very eyes. We've watched them on our TVs and some of us who couldn't wait subscribed and watched them live. We have all been here from day one till that jaw dropping last episode that left us wondering was that it for the couple. Did Sam get out of jail? Are they still married? Where are they now? Are the rumors true?" Blaine smiled as he looked right into the camera. "Welcome back to Million Dollar Love!"

Mercedes watched on from behind the curtains nervously. She looked down at the dress that she was wearing and smiled. She'd put on some weight since she was last on the show. This time around she didn't care the weight gain was welcomed and she didn't care what America thought as long as her husband loved her. And he did. She looked over at him as he reached over and took her hand in his and they both stepped out unto the stage as the audience cheered for them. They both waved before reaching Blaine and sitting on the sofa that was positioned next to him.

"Look at you two! Happy to see you both are still together." Blaine gushed. "You both look amazing but I have to say Mercedes you are glowing. Is there a reason why?" he asked. Mercedes smiled then looked down at what she knew barely anyone could really see since she wasn't that far along.

"Well...I guess some of you may know now that I am..." she paused and looked over at Sam as he smiled with pride. "We are expecting our first child." The audience erupted with applause and a caroled awww waved through them before Blaine continued his line of questions.

"Wow! That is amazing! How far along are you?"

"She just had her second doctor's appointment since we found out. So we are close to finishing off the first trimester." Sam said as he looked over at Mercedes then back to Blaine.

"Boy, I wish we could have seen that." Blaine said as the audience applauded as well.

"Well, Sam and I, started a small YouTube channel and we did record when I found out that I was pregnant. Do you all wanna see it?" she asked knowing that they had already given the clips to Rachel for the production to add to the finale.

"Let's all take a look." Blaine said as they all turned to look towards the big screen. The video immediately started with Sam holding on to camera as he explained what he was doing.

"So...after we left Million Dollar Love, we searched high and low for a house. We found this little gem but Mercedes kept getting sick and puking everywhere." he said with a grin as he stood outside the door. "So you know I had to go and buy my wife a box of "what's in the belly" to see exactly what's in her belly." he raised his hand to show the ClearBlue box before opening the front door. As he continued up the stairs he could hear Mercedes puking. "I hate that she's going through this but..." he whispered as he brought the camera closer. "I am hoping it's a little Evans in there brewing. So let's find out."

"Sam, who are you talking to?" Mercedes asked as she opened the door and noticed the camera in her face. "Oh hell to no, Sam! What is this?"

"I got you a box of sticks to pee on." he answered as he handed her the box. She glared at the box then the camera and then sighed before snatching it out of his hands and slamming the door on him.

"I swear Sam, if this test says I'm pregnant..." she shouted as he could hear her peeing on the stick. "I mean, I'll be happy but Sam, we're not ready. We just moved into this house. You just started modeling and who knows where that will take you...' she continued to pee. "Geez I'm peeing a lot."

"Babe, that's the baby on your bladder." Sam explained. "I read that on one of those crazy baby making forums. Are your nipples sore?"

"Sam! Don't you dare! Your messing with nipples is what got us here." you could hear her mumbling as the audience laughed. "Okay, so I'm done." she said as she opened the door and sighed as he quickly looked at the stick. "We have to wait, Sam."

"Oh." Sam frowned then panned down to her belly. "So, hey little guy...or girl...this is your dad or you can call me pops or whatever's cool when you come out."

"Sam? What are you doing?"

"Talking to the baby. I read online that they can hear and stuff."

"Sam, the baby doesn't even have ears yet." Mercedes replied rolling her eyes. "And why are you already on forums. I might not even be pregnant. I could just be..."

"Approaching your menstrual cycle." Sam said cutting her off as he aimed the camera to himself. "Yeah I read about that too. It's crazy that most of the symptoms mimic pregnancy." he stated before looking back her Mercedes. She was both shocked and impress with him at the time. Secretly she was hoping that she was pregnant. She was nervous that she would be punished by God for using Plan B so she wanted to see a positive line more than she wanted to admit. "So what now?"

"The box says that it will say pregnant when it's ready." She responded as they both looked at the test. Sam zoomed the camera onto the stick. You could still hear him saying something to her. Mercedes remembered him saying that whatever it said he'd be okay. He rubbed her back softly as they looked at the result. Sam panned the camera to Mercedes as tears fell from her eyes. "I'm pregnant." He wasn't sure at the time if she was disappointed. Especially since she was nervous about them being ready.

"We're pregnant." he said as he took her hand in his. "I promise I will support whatever decision you want to make about this but if you want to know..." she stopped him with a kiss as the camera slowly fell to the ground only showing their feet till it cut off.

"Well...damn!" Blaine said as everyone applauded. "That was the sweetest thing I've ever seen." he smiled at them. "What were you two feeling when you saw that you were pregnant?"

"Well you can tell I was excited and I figured that she was pregnant. The box was merely for her and I wasn't sure how she felt about being pregnant with everything that happened on the show."

"Speaking of that..." Blaine said as he turned his attention to Mercedes. "We all know about the Plan B pill that was taken after the mysterious moment in the bathroom. We never got to hear how you felt about Penny releasing the private recording of you talking to your best friend. How did you feel about it?"

"Uh...I mean at first I was hurt and disgusted that she would ever do that because we really liked Penny. But then I felt relieved because I was struggling with that within. I felt bad about taking it but I was scared. Our relationship was fairly new and I wasn't sure how Sam would feel about it. I wished I knew why Penny did that but it's water under a bridge now." Mercedes said as she forced a smile on her face.

"What about you Sam? How did you feel about it all?"

"I was hurt as you all saw but I hated how Penny did it. It seemed very sneaky."

"Well, let's ask Penny herself. Penny Owen, everybody!" Blaine said as she stepped onto the stage a few seconds later. Penny made her way to the available seat next to Blaine then looked nervously at Sam and Mercedes. "Penny, welcome back to the show."

"Thank you for having me back." she said before looking over to Mercedes. "I want to apologize for what I did. I never wanted to hurt you two. I really loved the both of you together."

"Then why would you record the conversation then email it to Sam?" Blaine asked as he looked over to Mercedes. She looked as if she wanted to slap Penny in the way she slapped Rachel but she kept her cool.

"I was told that I had to do that or else I would have lost my job and I really needed that job."

"You really almost ruined us. If you loved us together, what did you think that recording would have done to us?" Sam asked.

"I believed that you two were meant to be and that nothing aimed at you would truly ruin you two." Penny answered. She wanted to say that Rachel made her do it but she signed a contract that said that she couldn't. "I believed in the two of you and knew that this was just another hurdle."

"What about you, Mercedes?" Blaine asked.

"I don't have anything to say to her." Mercedes said. She knew that there was something Penny wasn't saying and she figured it had something to do with Rachel. She was tired of it all and just wanted to get the money so they could be done with it.

"Mercedes, I'm really sorry. Seriously, I never meant to hurt you."Penny said as a tear fell from her eye. Mercedes sighed then got up and made her way to Penny. She opened her arms and smiled as Penny wrapped her arms around her.

"I get it." Mercedes said as the audience applauded it all. As they hugged Mercedes whispered into her. "I know it was Rachel that put you up to this. We are good, okay."

"Thank you."

"And with that, we'll be right back after these messages." Blaine smiled as the cameras went to commercial. As they went to commercial, Sam waited for Mercedes to come back to her seat. Once she was seated he asked her what happened.

"Rachel was behind the recording being released. I swear I want to slap that bitch again but I prayed about all of this and said that I was over it. We only came back to squash everything and get this money."

"That's true but Rachel needs to answer for all of this shit she's put us through, babe." Sam responded.

"And she will when we get the money. She will pay for all of this." Mercedes replied just as Blaine announced that they were back.

"We're back! If you're just joining us, you missed the amazing news that Mercedes is expecting and Penny apologized for leaking the recording Mercedes talking to her best friend Tesla. Mercedes says that she forgave her but what does Mercedes' best friend Tesla feel about this?" Blaine asked as Mercedes looked over at him in shock. She had no idea that Tesla was going to be there.

"Tesla is here?" Mercedes asked in shock as she looked around waiting to see her bestie.

"No, she couldn't be here live but we have her on Skype." Blaine said with a broad smile. "Tesla, everybody!" he said as Tesla appeared on the screen with a smile.

"Hey bitches!" she said as she waved and smiled as the audience applauded. Mercedes was happy to see Tesla but mad that she didn't tell her when they spoke on the phone earlier. "Mercedes, don't look at me that way. They told me not to say anything. This was supposed to surprise you."

"Well I am surprised." Mercedes responded.

"And so am I? I do not understand why you would forgive Penny. I feel exposed. Now all of America knows my business."

"She didn't do it to hurt us. And she apologized. Let go and Let God!"

"Oh hell to the no, Mercedes. I ain't letting go shit. Tell that bitch if I see her on the streets, it's on and poppin'."

"Tesla, as Mercedes' best friend you have seemingly been the voice of reason for the two. At first you didn't seem to like Sam. How do you feel about him now?"

"Well..." she paused and looked over to Sam as he nervously waited for her to speak as bluntly as she always did. "You're right, at first I thought Mercedes was crazy for doing this show. And then I met Sam and knew she had lost her mind. I mean, did you guys see that man bun?" she asked as everyone laughed. Sam frowned and rubbed the back of his neck as Mercedes rubbed his back.

"I grew to love his man bun. Kind of missed it when he cut it." Mercedes admitted.

"Thanks, babe."

"See, she's lost it." Tesla said then sighed before continuing. "Then I got to know him a bit and saw what Mercedes fell in love with. So I tried to help her not ruin it as she usually does with relationships."

"Hey, watch it!" Mercedes said as she shook her head at her best friend.

"Now she's about to have a baby too and our baby's will grow to be besties as well. I can't wait." Tesla beamed. "I believe Sam is perfect for Mercedes. They are different but like Paula Abdul said, opposites attract."

"Thanks Tes." Sam said as he felt relieved that she wasn't harsher on him. He looked over at Mercedes and could tell that she was happy that Tesla was there even if on cam.

"Yes thanks Tesla, and now for a brief commercial and we'll be right back." Blaine smiled before walking over to where Mercedes and Sam were talking amongst themselves. "I am so happy that you both agreed to this reunion. I really have been a huge fan."

"It was a hard decision but we did it for the fans." Sam said with a quick nod. Blaine nodded as well before tapping him on the shoulder then turning his attention to Mercedes.

"Can't wait to see your pregnancy journey on youtube. I will definitely subscribe." he added before walking back to his seat as the show came back on. "Welcome back, everyone! If you're just joining us you just missed Mercedes' best friend Tesla. We asked how she felt about Sam and now we get to speak with Sam's best friend Artie Abrams." Blaine smiled as they turned to see Artie on Skype as well.

"Hey Sam and Mercedes! Hey there Blaine thanks for having me."

"We're happy you agreed to be here. We all want to know what you feel about this union. From the beginning you seemed to support Sam's choice to marry Mercedes."

"Well yeah, I mean look at her. She's gorgeous and she can sing like it's nobody's business. I also feel like she's exactly what Sam needs to keep him from making those wacky decisions he usually makes."

"Whoa wait a minute, Artie. I don't make wacky decisions." Sam said to his defense then looked over to Mercedes as she placed her hand on his.

"Babe, you kind of do." she agreed with a snicker.

"I mean, if he didn't marry her...I would have." Artie added as the crowd applauded and laughed. "Seriously, after Sam's parents passed Sam has always had to look out for himself. I am just happy that he has someone finally looking out for him. And I feel Stacy will need Mercedes around as well."

"Thank you Artie." Mercedes said blushing as Sam smiled between her and Artie.

"Thanks for being here Artie, and speaking of Stacy...she's here with Quinn with quite the surprise for Sam and Mercedes." Blaine smiled as he looked at the confused look on their face as Artie looked on. Minutes later a light flashed as Quinn stepped out then looked over to where the door opened and Stacy rolled out on her wheelchair. She rolled a few more steps then stopped when she got near the stage and waited for Quinn to roll her up the stage. Once she was a few steps away from where Mercedes and Sam sat, she reached out for Quinn's hand.

"Come on, Stace." Quinn smiled as Stacy reached out and held her hand before standing up slowly. The entire room gasped as Sam and Mercedes stood and watched on.

"Praise!" Mercedes muttered as Stacy took a few steps and looked up at Sam and Mercedes then smiled with pride. "Sam, she's..."

"Yeah, she is." Sam felt a tear fall from his eyes as he watched his sister do something he wasn't sure she would ever do again.

"This is definitely a miracle, isn't it?" Blaine asked.

"Look at God!" Mercedes said as she stepped closer to Stacy and hugged her as Sam walked over and joined the hug. They were all in tears as they hugged her tight. She looked over to Quinn and told her to get in the hug too. "This was all you, girl."

"No...this was all Stacy." Quinn said with a smile as she walked in and joined the hug as well.

"And with that touching story. We end part one of the reunion. Please stay tuned as we start part two where we open the floor to the audience for questions." Blaine smiled as the camera panned over to the family hugging.

* * *

"Welcome back to part two of the reunion of Million Dollar Love! I'm your host Blaine Anderson." he smiled as the crowd applauded. "If you're just joining us, you've missed one hell of a first half and I hope you DVR'd it all. Either way there's more for the second half as we will re-watch episode twelve. We will then talk to Mercedes and Sam about the episode then open the floor for questions. So sit back relax and let's get to it." Blaine turned his attention to Sam and Mercedes. "Are you ready to watch the last episode?"

"Yeah I guess so." Mercedes said then looked to Sam. "Babe?"

"Let's get it over with." Sam responded as they turned to screen. The last thing Sam wanted to do was relive that day even though it was the day he learned how Mercedes felt. He hated that he had to learn about the Plan B situation on camera and then watching her talk to Anthony. Aside from finding out about how Mercedes felt, fighting Anthony was definitely a plus for him and he was hoping they wouldn't cut the part where she slapped Rachel. Sam looked around the room as they watched him stomp over to Mercedes as she was having lunch with Anthony. Although she'd already told him what she said when she was hugging him it was hard to watch his jealousy on camera. Once Sam got out of jail Mercedes quickly told him that she was declining Anthony's offer to be her manager and sign with Usher. He couldn't believe she turned that down but it made him realize how much she loved him.

"Oh God." Mercedes muttered as they watched her try to come between the two men before they began to fight. It was quite embarrassing to watch. Especially since they edited out most of what happened. They of course cut out the part where Sam and Anthony were arrested and the part where Mercedes slapped Rachel. Luckily for the viewers online they got to see everything.

"That was some finale." Blaine said as he turned his attention to Sam and Mercedes. "How do you feel after watching that on LV?"

"Uh...let's just say editing did their job." Sam responded.

"We all understand that you were feeling a bit jealous seeing your wife having lunch with this unknown man."

"That's the thing, he wasn't unknown. He was starting to show up one time too many around Mercedes and I just wanted to know what was up."

"And nothing was up."

"Something was up, babe. He was stalking you, obviously." Sam said as he was starting to become as irritated as he was when he first saw them having lunch.

"Okay, yeah he was kind of stalking me...but I handled it." Mercedes responded as she placed her hand on Sam's to calm him down. She knew Sam was still feeling a bit on edge when it came to Anthony. She was just happy that they hadn't seen him since that day.

"You said something to Anthony when you were hugging him. Can you share with us what was said?" Blaine asked as he looked over at her.

"Um...yeah...it was nothing. I basically told him that I didn't want him as my manager and that I was happy with my husband and not planning on leaving Sam when the show was through." Mercedes explained as she looked at Sam and smiled. "We are perfect for each other."

"I feel like I've said that in some shape of form or in some alternate universe." Sam said as he smirked over at Mercedes.

"Well it's easy to see that nothing and no one can come between the two of you but let's talk to the one person that tried to get between you." Blaine smiled as Mercedes heart sank. She held on to Sam's hand then took a deep breath as Blaine introduced him. "Anthony Rasaad everybody!" the audience boo'd him as he appeared on the screen. Mercedes was happy that he was physically there because she knew that Sam and him would have fought again. "Welcome to the show man."

"Thanks for having me." Anthony said. "Hey Mercedes." he quickly glanced at Sam then turned his attention back to Blaine.

"Anthony, on the show, you were one of the only things that came close to breaking up their marriage. Some say that you never really cared for Mercedes that you were what they call an opportunist. How do you feel about that?"

"That's not true at all. I really care for Mercedes. And before the show we were friends." Anthony replied. Sam shook his head as he listened. "She only stopped being my friend when she married buddy."

"His name is Sam." Mercedes said as she interrupted him. He paused and looked at her then at Sam then brought his attention to Blaine again.

"Yeah...whatever, our friendship never came to question before him. I was with Mercedes when I was young so we broke up over nonsense. If we were together again,if she'd given me another shot, I know we'd last."

"Well it's too late buddy, she's with me now. So get over it." Sam stated.

"She's with you for now."

"She's with me forever. We are married."

"And that means nothing to me, dude."

"It means something to me, Anthony." Mercedes responded finally jumping in. "If you were truly my friend you would know how serious I am about it."

"Yeah I did, till I learned you agreed to marry someone you barely knew for money. How serious can you take it when you're playing with something before God?" Anthony asked causing Mercedes to think. "This is not what God wants." She wasn't sure what to say or how to answer. Sam could feel that Anthony was getting to her and he knew he had to jump in.

"God works in mysterious ways. He used the show to bring us together. Who are we to question that or make a joke out of it?" Sam asked as the audience applauded. "Since day one we have put our all into this marriage and God has blessed us in more ways then one since we got together. If this isn't what God wants then explain all these blessings?" Sam asked a stunned Anthony. Even Mercedes was shocked as Sam looked to her and smiled.

"I thought you didn't believe in God?"

"I didn't believe because I always wanted proof and God has proven He's been looking out for me and He still is." Sam stroked the top of Mercedes' hand and smiled as Blaine clapped louder than the audience.

"That was an amazing answer." Blaine said as he stood up. "Thank you for joining us Anthony. We're going to cut to commercial then we will open the floor for questions."

* * *

"Welcome back everybody. We have now opened the floor to the audience for questions. I am pretty sure many of you are eager to have your questions things first, let's read the question that came from online." Blaine said as he turned towards the screen. "First question, came from Walkingdeadfan85, it says: Will Mercedes and Sam get to keep their jobs with Kurt Hummel? And why were you always second guessing your feelings for each other? I know it's hard being in an interracial relationship, did this influence that?"

"Uh...I can answer the first part of the question." Sam said as he looked over to Mercedes to see if she was okay with him answering the question. She nodded and smiled as he began to answer it. "Mercedes is still working with Kurt and I am now a signed model and have been working with Kurt's new line. So yes we are still working with the famous Kurt Hummel." Sam smiled.

"Yeah, Kurt has been a great boss and he's became one of my closest friends here as well." Mercedes added then smiled before clearing her throat. "I guess the second part of the questions would be for me to answer as I was the one that was always second guessing everything." she giggled shortly before trying to gather her thoughts. "I, uh, I guess I've never really had successful relationships and then yeah...the interracial part played a big part. But the TV played the biggest part. I wasn't sure what was real and what was for show and when I finally relaxed and let everything just be...I allowed myself to be true to myself and how I felt for Sam."

"Okay this kind of leads to the next question coming from viewer Sweetiedee: She wants to know why did it take so long for you to admit you loved Sam?" Blaine smiled as he turned his attention to her.

"Yeah...I know I was horrible on the show. Sam was willing to jump head first and just see where things go. I have never been like that. I always have to think about things and then I obsess over my thoughts and scare myself into thinking that my feelings aren't valid. So yeah...I think that's what took me so long."

"I kind of figured that she loved me even though she never said it and I wanted to just hear it." Sam admitted. He smiled as he watched Blaine walk out to an audience member and hand her a mic.

"HI Mercedes! Hi Sam! I'm such a big fan, and proud Samcedian. I have followed all things Samcedes online. I just want to get that out first." The small girl said as she held the mic tighter. "My question is for Sam, I know it seems that Mercedes was holding on to her feelings but you were as well. You used the dog to say that you loved her. Why did you use Hey Hey to get out of telling her you loved her?" the small girl smiled widely then giggled. "Oh and I love you both!"

"Tell him girl!" Mercedes said with a smile as she looked at Sam. "Why didn't you?"

"Funny...ummm." Sam smiled as he looked into the audience. "I actually wanted to just say it to her but I thought I would freak her out so that's why I shied away from it all." Sam smiled. "And...what's a samcedes?"

"That's what the fans call us, babe." Mercedes smiled. Blaine made his way to another woman that was standing waving for him to come her way. He handed her the mic and smiled as she took it from him.

"Hi Mercedes and Sam. I want to first off say thank you for portraying what interracial relationships really look like." She smiled. "My name is Lamimi and my question is for Sam. Throughout the show we've learned that you're a very clever man and you're always thinking outside of the box. Have you ever considered being Mercedes' manager? I think both of your careers would go far if you worked together."

"Uh..." Sam paused and looked to Mercedes as she looked back at him and smiled. "I, uh, never thought of that. Thanks for the compliment. I think I could possibly help her if she is opened to that."

"He would definitely make it fun." Mercedes admitted.

"One more question, coming from the back here." Blaine said as he handed another woman the mic.

"Hi, my name is Laura and I don't really have a question. It's more so a comment.I am not a pro with relationships or anything but I learned with watching the two of you what your issues were. All of your issues, even if it was set up they all stemmed from the fact that you all aren't big on open communication. If you two work on that then you won't have issues. You'll be able to handle anything. I wish you both the best." Mercedes and Sam watched as the woman handed the mic back to Blaine. Mercedes and Sam both knew that she was right and they had been working on it. Since the show things were just better for the two of them. And just as the woman stated they were definitely going to handle anything that comes their way.

"Well there you have it guys." Blaine smiled as he walked down the steps. "And before the show is over we have one more surprise for Mercedes." He smiled when he noticed the scared look on Mercedes face. "Our producer has a surprise that she wants to give you."

"I swear to God, Rachel." Mercedes mumbled as Rachel walked out with a big board under her arm. She had a big smile on her face that seemed genuine, so Mercedes tried to calm her nerves. Sam reached over and held her hands and waited for Rachel to get on the stage.

"Sam and Mercedes, we promised you both a quarter mill if you lasted ninety days together. Although you quit the show, I found a way to still get the quarter mill and we will help you with a small wedding reception for your mother since she missed your wedding day." she smiled as she handed them a huge check. "And..." she paused as she waited for everyone to stop clapping. "And...we also have one more thing for you, Mercedes." she walked over to Mercedes and held her hand. "What have you always dreamed of being?"

"A singer?" Mercedes answered but asked as she looked at Rachel.

"What if I said we have a recording contract ready for you with Island Beat Records?"

"Rachel don't play with me!"Mercedes said as she looked over at Sam. She was so excited that her hands were shaking when Sam took one into his. "I swear Rachel..."

"I am serious, Mercedes. The deal is yours and all you have to do is say you want it...and possibly sing the show out." She smiled as she handed the mic to Mercedes.

"You're for real?" Mercedes slowly took the mic from Rachel then looked to Sam as he smiled and hugged her. "Is this for real?"

"You deserve it baby." Sam said before kissing her then making his way off the stage. Mercedes smiled as a show choir came on the stage then watched as Blaine and Rachel followed Sam off the stage.

"Have you ever reached a rainbow's end...and did you find your pot of gold?" she sang as she stared out into the crowd. She tried her best to hold her tears back but she was truly happy beyond reason. "Ever catch a shooting star...tell me how high did you soar." she could feel herself losing control over her tears as she continued to sing. "Ever felt like you were dreaming just to find that you're awake and the magic that surrounds you...Can lift you up and guide you on your way..." she felt a tear slide down her chin as the choir jumped in.

"I can see it in the stars across the sky...dreamed a hundred thousand dreams before...now I finally realize..."

"You see I've waited all my life...for the moment to arrive..." Mercedes smiled as she looked down at Sam and Stacy before singing the next line. "And finally...I believe..yeah yeah yeah yeah." she smiled as she continued. "I believe in the impossible...if I reach deep within my heart, yeah... overcome many obstacles, won't let this dream just fall apart. You see I strive to be the very best, shine my light for all to see...cause anything is possible. When you believe..."

"I can see it in the stars across the sky...dreamed a hundred thousand dreams before...now I finally realize..."

"You see I've waited all my for this moment to arrive..." she finally broke down crying finally as the room erupted in applause and the choir continued.

"Love keeps lifting me higher." the choir sang over and over as everyone started to get back on the stage and hug her. The entire stadium was standing as they applauded her. Mercedes couldn't believe her life. She almost didn't agree to be apart of this show and missed out on a great guy. And now she was going to be a recording artist, a mother and a wife. She looked up to the sky then back to Sam and smiled. "Look at God!"

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy this story and enjoyed the ending. I tried to make it true to a reunion show with having guest appearances and surprises. If you're wondering, Mercedes goes on to have a baby boy named Tyler and she hires Sam as her Manager so they travel together as a singing family. Stacy graduated eventually and is now running track as a sport. Rachel had to produce the show Stranger Love but it Flopped and she wasn't able to have any other successful show. Anthony decided to get back with his ex since Mercedes did not want him. Quinn continued to be a close family friend. Artie and Tesla are still the besties of course.**

 **Sorry it took so long but I feel happy about what I wrote. Hope yall read it all and let me know if u hated the finale.**


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